


The Fear of Bites and Bullets (FTWD AU.)

by Kaylercool



Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alicia Clark - Freeform, F/F, F/M, FTWD, Fear, fear the walking dead, fear the walking dead au, feartwd, madison clark - Freeform, nick clark - Freeform, the walking dead - Freeform, twd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-05-24 16:12:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14957876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaylercool/pseuds/Kaylercool
Summary: During an attempted ambush on the road, the Clark siblings and company encounter Melanie, a previous resident of Broke Jaw Ranch, and her newly found companions. With Melanie and her group now in the picture, the fate of Nick and everyone else is heavily altered; changing the path of everyone forever. As our groups continue to survive and cope with losses and regrets, unbeknownst to what’s happening beyond them, secrets begin to unfold and familiar faces return.-Will include: New locations, new characters, and lots of non-cannon stuff.





	1. Something Worth Fighting For.

-The Fear of Bites and Bullets- (A Fear The Walking Dead AU.)

 

Melanie was on the road again. She often moved from place to place and always refused to look back. She wasn’t in the best of condition; she was barely getting by. Her previously bright, blue eyes had dulled. Her long, strawberry blonde hair became rather unkempt. Her scars alone proved that her journey hadn’t been a cake walk. Though, she knew things weren’t easy for anyone in the new world; in the new world where people feared bites and bullets more than anything.

It wasn’t long before she stumbled upon a small group of people: Althea, the short-haired, pale-skinned brunette with a passion for capturing peoples’ stories on film; John, the short-haired brunette, white male with a kind, silly persona; and Morgan, the dark-skinned man with a strong belief that all life was precious. They were all drastically different, but they all shared one of the same goals. They were all searching for a peaceful existence; an escape from the reality that had befallen them.

_. “Where were you before you ran into them?” Althea asked, glancing at Morgan and John briefly before returning her attention towards Melanie. Althea pointed the camera at her and steadied it._

_Melanie sighed softly, fidgeting where she was sitting. “I have been traveling from place to place for a long time now,” she said. “Since the world fell, there has only been one place I stayed for an extensive amount of time.”_

_“Where?” Althea focused her camera and eyed the girl._

_“A ranch,” she replied, biting her lip nervously._

_Melanie continued to fidget. She tried to calmly give Althea the story she promised, but she was having a tough time keeping it together. She had previously tried to block everything bad out. She thought if she filtered out the bad and only focused on the good everything would be okay. Though, she knew she would have to face the truth eventually. She knew bad memories were just as important as good memories. Even though she didn’t want to admit, both her good and bad memories had shaped her into who she had become._

_“Did something bad happen there?” Althea asked._

_“Yeah,” she muttered, letting out a huff of air._

_“Take all the time you need,” Althea spoke quietly. “No rush.”_.

“Hey, Melanie, are you getting out?” Althea called, waving her hand in front of Melanie’s face.

“Huh?” she asked, slightly shaking her head.

Althea glanced at Melanie one last time before exiting the van. Morgan and John immediately began following behind her. Melanie glanced out the window, seeing a figure crouched in the middle of the road. Confusion washed over her as she stared ahead. She took a deep breath and exhaled deeply just before heading towards the door.

Melanie had zoned out, which was something she didn’t do often. She found herself dwelling on the past. She was so caught up in thinking about the conversation she had had with Althea earlier that day, that she hadn’t even noticed that the van had stopped.

She cautiously stepped out of Althea’s van with her gun in hand. She followed behind John as they all approached the strange individual crouching in the middle of the road. She peered over John’s shoulder, now able to see the person in the road. She was a fair-skinned female with long, brown hair. Her hair was covering her face and she was covered in muck.

“You might want to stay back. If something happens I’m not so sure you will be able to defend yourself in your condition,” John spoke, keeping his eyes on the person in the road; not turning to face her.

“I just have a few scratches. I’m good,” she replied, rolling her eyes. Morgan gave her an odd look that she assumed meant, ‘you should listen to him.’

Melanie continued to follow behind as Althea walked up to the girl in the road. Althea clutched her gun and eyed her. Melanie nervously held her breath. Something felt off to her.

“You injured?” Althea called to the girl in the road.

“She alright?” Morgan called, slowly approaching with his stick in hand.

“Can you bring the first aid kit?” Althea asked.

Morgan began walking back towards the van as the girl began muttering something between breaths. When Althea leaned forward to get a better look at her, the girl bounced up and held a sharp object to Althea’s throat. Several others, that seemed to be a part of the girl’s group, immediately came out of hiding. They held their weapons high and demanded Althea’s group to drop theirs. Melanie continued to clutch her gun even though Althea, Morgan, and John had all discarded their weapons immediately. One of the mysterious people approached Melanie from behind and pointed a gun at her.

“I said drop it!” The voice demanded.

The voice sounded rather familiar to Melanie. She felt her stomach jump up into her throat. She almost felt as if she had been thrown into the air. When she turned around to face the person, both of their faces froze as soon as they made eye contact.

“M-melanie?” The voice uttered.

The sight before her brought her mind back to the interview she had with Althea. 

 

_. “It’s okay, I promised I would tell you. I owe you after all,” Melanie spoke softly, lifting her head and wiping a tear from her eye. She forced the fakest smile she could, but she knew Althea didn’t buy it._

_“Alright,” Althea replied. “I know it’s hard spilling your guts like this.”_

_Melanie nodded before continuing, “After I parted ways with my family, I came across a ranch. They let me stay so long as I pitched in; which I was fine with.” Her hands shook slightly as she pressed them against her lap._

_“Why did you part ways with your family?” Althea asked._

_“They became a larger threat than the dead,” Melanie said softly, rubbing her arm nervously. “I didn’t want to become like them.”_

_“What happened at the ranch?”_

_Melanie averted her eyes after that question. She took a moment before replying, “Things were fine at first. I just kept to myself and did what was asked of me. Then, a family of three appeared at the ranch and everything changed.”_

_“Did they do something to you?” Althea asked quietly._

_Melanie shook her head no, a slight laugh escaping her lips. Althea raised an eyebrow as she continued to steady the camera. Melanie smiled sadly._

_“No, they were nice people,” she said. “One of them especially. I didn’t know the other two,” Melanie paused before continuing, “that well.” She swallowed roughly._

_“Were?” Althea paused for a moment before continuing, “One of them?”_

_“Yeah. He changed the way I viewed everything.” Melanie laughed once again. “He changed me.”_

_Melanie wanted to forget what happened to him. She only wanted to remember the good. She wanted to believe he was alive just to make herself feel better, but she was so sure he had been taken by the swarm._

_“Did you love him?”_

__

__

 

“Melanie?” The voice asked once again.

Melanie felt a hand grab her shoulder. She was pulled from her mind yet again. She shook her head from her thoughts, focusing on the person before her. She finally lowered her gun.

“Nick? You’re really alive?” she muttered in shock. She grabbed onto his arm, realizing that he wasn’t just a hallucination. His tan skin, slicked back, brown hair and deep brown eyes were unmistakable.

Nick nodded, a small smile making its way onto his lips. He immediately lowered his gun and turned towards the others in his group.

“Stop,” he said as he held his arms out. He turned towards the girl threatening Althea. “Alicia, do you remember Melanie?” 

The girl, who was apparently Alicia, nodded. She continued to hold the weapon to Althea’s throat as she eyed Nick. The rest of Nick’s group continued to hold their weapons up as well.

“I do,” Alicia replied. “We both know Melanie, but what about the others?” She narrowed her eyes.

“You’re sure these people aren’t a threat to us?” Nick muttered to Melanie. He gazed at the people Melanie had shown up with.

“These are good people,” Melanie stated as she turned towards Alicia. “You heard her, didn’t you?” Melanie glanced at Althea for a few seconds, then returned her attention towards Alicia. “She asked for the first aid kit because she planned on helping you.”

“You’ve got a point there,” Alicia replied. “You all thought I was alone. You could have just put me down right there.”

Melanie nodded just before locking eyes with Alicia. Her expression remained bland and unreadable as she continued to hold the weapon to Althea’s throat. Althea stared at Melanie as she struggled to remain still in Alicia’s grasp.

“They lowered their weapons. Can’t you do the same?” Melanie pleaded.

Alicia stared at Melanie for another moment. Melanie refused to back down, so she didn’t dare break eye contact with the girl. When Alicia finally averted her gaze, she removed the weapon from Althea’s throat and lowered it. She pushed Althea towards Melanie immediately after, making some distance between her and her previous hostage. Alicia looked towards the others in her group, giving them a quick nod. They all lowered their weapons on cue.

Soon after everyone lowered their weapons, Nick approached his group and gave them a summary of how he knew Melanie. John, Morgan, and Althea listened in as well. Each of them began eyeing Melanie. Althea roughly tugged on Melanie’s shirt, catching her attention.

“I can’t believe it,” Althea whispered to Melanie. “So, he’s the one from the ranch?” She crossed her arms and smirked.

“Yeah,” Melanie replied. She laughed nervously, still a bit overwhelmed by the situation. “I can’t believe it either.”

“What do you think it will take for me to get more of your story?” Althea put her hand on her hip. “Because now I’m even more interested.”

“You said you had cup noodles?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“That’s all it will take,” she replied, taking a deep breath. “But, I need some time. It’s been an eventful day for me.”

Melanie looked towards Nick as he was still speaking with his group. She stood there silently for a moment, just staring him down. She was still shocked about the situation at hand. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say to him. She had spent so much time trying to believe that he was alive, and yet deep down she never actually convinced herself.

Nick turned away from his group and approached Melanie. “Melanie, we need to talk,” he whispered to her. He gently grabbed onto her wrist and tugged lightly.

Melanie nodded her head. She swallowed nervously as she and Nick began heading off in the other direction. She was overjoyed that he made his way back into her life, but she knew that he would want to know what happened after she fled the ranch. Even though she had shared with Althea, that didn’t mean she was ready to share with Nick. She hadn’t even shared all of it with Althea. There was one thing in particular that she regretted more than anything; one thing she didn’t even want to tell Althea.

Nick and Melanie both sat down on the side of the road. She could barely see the silhouettes of their groups in the distance. They seemed to be taking a break while waiting for them to return. She was almost certain Althea was asking Nick’s group for their stories. As she sat there waiting for Nick’s words, she began nervously fiddling with a red, bracelet-like band wrapped around her wrist. 

“Some things never change, do they?” Nick pointed towards the band on her wrist.

“What do you mean?” Melanie questioned, confusion evident on her face and in her voice.

“You always fiddle with that when you’re nervous,” he stated.

“I’m not nervous,” she wined, playfully elbowing him in the side. A small smile made its way onto her lips, but it was short-lived. She looked towards Nick, who had fallen silent. He had a blank expression on his face as he looked down at the ground.

“I just can’t believe you’re alive,” Nick finally said. “I tried to find you before the herd arrived and I looked again after, but you were nowhere to be found.”

Melanie swallowed roughly after his words and began looking down at her own feet. She could feel his eyes meet her form as she did so. “I escaped using your technique.” She laughed nervously. “It’s disgusting, yet effective.”

“That makes sense,” he finally said.

She found it odd that he took that long to respond to what she said, but only said that. She felt like he was hiding something from her. She turned towards him and their eyes met.

“You don’t look happy to see me, Nick,” Melanie murmured. She searched his eyes for answers, but didn’t find any. Nick sat up straight as he stared back.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” he said, turning away from her. “Finding you is the only good thing that has happened recently. Life has been hell for a while now.”

“Hasn’t it been hell since the world fell?” Melanie questioned. She crossed her arms and stared at the side of his face as he looked off into the distance.

“It was hell way before then,” Nick scoffed. “It’s just worse now.”

Melanie slowly scooted closer to him. She tugged on the side of his shirt, beckoning him to look at her. He turned his head towards her, making eye contact. She stared silently for a moment.

“What happened?” She asked softly.

“Well,” he started. “Our community was taken over and we lost almost everything,” he blurted out quickly.

Melanie placed her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, but she honestly didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t think of anything to say that would make it better. She wanted to know even more about what had happened, but she knew she couldn’t ask him so soon.

Nick and Melanie sat there in silence for a while. She watched as the sun began to set and the sky began to darken. She could hear the rattling of an approaching vehicle. Nick and Melanie both turned and saw Althea’s van approaching them. They both stood up and waited for the van to come to a halt. Once the van had stopped, Althea poked her head out the door. Both of their groups seemed to be packed inside.

“He owes me a story and I want more of yours later, Melanie,” Althea called.

“How do I owe you anything?” He asked as he stood there looking dumbfounded.

“You will see later. Plus, I have food,” Althea replied with a smirk. “You like food, don’t you?”

Nick shrugged his shoulders and sighed. Afterwards, he climbed into the van without further hesitation. “No one else hears this but you, got it?” he said. Althea nodded her head just before closing the doors to the van.

It had been a little while since Nick had entered Althea’s van. Melanie lied down on her side, placing her backpack underneath her head. She held her arms together and tried to stay warm. She was between Morgan and John, while Nick’s group was on the other side of the fire. Melanie and the others were all outside the van waiting for Nick. She was very curious as to what he was sharing with Althea, but she decided not to ask any questions.

“So, I don’t think I caught all of your names,” John broke the silence, glancing at those in Nick’s group. “I’m John. John Dorie. You know, like the fish.”

“I’m Alicia Clark, Nick’s sister.” She pointed towards the long, black-haired Hispanic woman next to her. “This is Luciana Galvez.” Then, she turned towards the black-haired, dark-skinned man on the other side of her. “And that’s Victor Strand.” Luciana and Strand both threw their hands up to greet him, but they remained quiet. The entire group seemed extremely tired.

“I’m looking for a woman named Laura,” John said. “She has dirty-blonde hair that she keeps tied back. Oh, and she has hazel eyes. Anyone come to mind?”

John continued chatting back and forth between Nick’s group as Melanie continued to lie there. She yawned softly, snuggling her head into her backpack. She was too tired to sit up, but she did not want to fall asleep. Melanie was waiting for Nick and Althea to return so they could all decide what to do for the night.

“You should sleep,” Morgan whispered to her, still facing forward.

“That’s not safe,” Melanie yawned. “I’m fine staying awake.”

“No walker or person is getting past my stick.”

“Why should I trust you though?” She joked, knowing all too well that he had no desire to harm her.

“I would not have helped you if I had any intention of killing you.”

“I know,” She paused for a second. “Thanks, Morgan.”

“Mmhm,” Morgan responded softly. “And thank you too.”

“For what?” She asked, confusion evident on her face.

“For offering me those stale cookies.”

“You didn’t even like them.” She laughed lightly.

“Doesn’t matter,” Morgan simply said. “A cookie is still a cookie.”

John continued chatting about something with the others. Melanie had not been paying attention, so she had no idea what he was on about. He seemed to enjoy having others to talk to. Melanie and Morgan both seemed to be a bit on the quieter side. Though, she did enjoy talking with the group she was currently with.

“You know, it’s a bit strange.” She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She could feel Morgan’s eyes on her at this point.

“What is?” he asked.

“Back before the world fell, I kept to myself most of the time. I found it hard to trust people I had known all my life.” She rolled over onto her back and began staring at the stars above. “But, in this new world where people are even more difficult to trust, I actually met complete strangers that I feel I can trust.” Melanie laughed softly, a small smile creeping onto her lips. “You, Althea, John and-” Her smile widened a bit. “Nick.”

“I appreciate your kindness, but you shouldn’t let your guard down. Things don’t always work out how you think they will.”

“I never thought things would turn out the way they are now. So, I guess you’re right there,” she replied. “When the world first fell, I felt like an empty husk; like I had no purpose in the new world.” She continued to stare at the stars above, focusing on their natural light. “But, I appear to have found something worth fighting for.”

\----------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Thanks for reading the very first chapter! Please let me know what you think so far.

I know the first chapter isn’t too “crazy” but believe me when I say things will get rather….interesting soon. ;) 

I’d also like to point out that Melanie and Nick are very important characters, but this story won’t only focus on them. I plan to focus on the others quite a lot. Also, Luciana…aha. I have big, interesting plans for her character.

There will be new characters added in upcoming chapters along with maybe even a few others I won’t mention right yet.


	2. A Rescue Mission.

A/N:  
I plan on updating this story every Sunday night, but I wanted to go a head and post chapter two.  
Hope you enjoy!  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Melanie was still waiting for Nick to finish speaking with Althea. At this point, she was extremely exhausted. Her eyelids felt heavy; it was a constant struggle for her to keep her eyes open. Just as she was about to finally give in to sleep, she heard the door to the van open. She could hear the approaching footsteps that she assumed belonged to Althea and Nick. She just lied there with her eyes shut for a moment. 

“Melanie, Morgan, John,” Althea called. “I need to talk to you three for a minute.” 

Melanie sat up and rubbed her eyes roughly before hopping onto her feet and following Althea into the van. She took a seat between John and Morgan, staring up at Althea as she stood before the three of them. 

“So, what did you need to talk about, Al?” John questioned as Melanie and Morgan sat there silently.

“Do any of you have some sort of plan?” Althea looked between the three of them before continuing, “Somewhere you’re all headed?”

“No,” Melanie spoke, rubbing the back of her head nervously. Melanie looked over to Morgan as he just silently shook his head no. She turned her attention towards John.

“Yeah. There’s someone I’m looking for,” John said.

“Well, you’re all welcome to tag along with me if you want. Just so long as you pitch in.” Althea looked to John before continuing, “That includes you if you change your mind.” 

“I appreciate the offer, but I have to decline,” John responded, causing Al to look a bit disappointed. 

“What about the others?” Melanie questioned. 

“Nick can come if he wants.” 

“Nick won’t leave his group behind,” Melanie paused. “And I don’t want to leave him behind.” 

Althea finally took a seat, clasping her hands together and staring down at her feet. “Melanie, believe me when I say I want them to come too, but supplies won’t last for that many people,” she replied.

“You’re right,” Melanie sighed. “I just want to help them all. They seem like good people.” Melanie wanted to help them, but she knew she didn’t have anything to help them with. Althea had the vehicle and most of the supplies. Regardless of how much Melanie wanted to help them, she knew it wasn’t her place to invite them to come with them.

“Ask Nick about what he and his group plan to do. I may be able to give them a short ride at least,” Althea replied, standing up and heading towards the door.

When the four of them exited the van, they could hear arguing coming from the other group. The four of them approached slowly, trying not to draw any attention to themselves.

“Nick, we’ll die if we go back there right now! We don’t have the numbers or weapons!” Alicia yelled. 

“We can’t just leave Charlie with them! And what if they took her?” Nick pleaded. Melanie could hear the hurt in Nick’s voice, which was rather unsettling. It left a bad taste in her mouth.

“Nick, face the truth. She’s dead. She and Naomi died back there,” Alicia stated, her voice cracking slightly. “And Charlie is a traitor anyway.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Nick spoke softly, his head hanging low. “And you know they forced her to do what she did. She’s just a kid.” 

“Nick,” Alicia spoke firmly. “We’re going to go back there, but we have to be prepared first.”

“What’s the problem?” Althea stepped forward, causing all the others to notice them. Nick glanced at Melanie for a split second, just before looking away. Alicia and Nick fell silent and avoided their gazes as if they were pretending they weren’t even there.

“You remember the little girl we told you about?” Strand spoke up, his eyes on Althea. 

“The spy?” Althea took a few steps forward, eyes on Strand. “What about her?” she asked.

“We want to help her get away from the people she’s with,” Luciana spoke up, taking a stand. “All they do is use her. They make her do awful things no kid should have to do.” 

Althea stood silently for a moment and looked off into the distance. “Alright,” she finally said, placing her hand on her hip. “If you need help I’m down. It’s not every day you see kids. I like kids.” 

“You actually want to help?” Strand asked. 

Althea nodded. “I have the supplies and I don’t mind using them to save a kid.” Althea turned towards Nick. “How far from here?”

“It’s close. Just up the road a bit,” he replied. 

“So, what are you three going to do?” Althea asked, turning towards Melanie, John, and Morgan.

“I don’t mind tagging along since it’s not too far off. I’d like to help the kid,” John replied.

“I think you already know my answer, Al,” Melanie replied. Althea, John, and Melanie turned towards Morgan. 

“I’ll help,” Morgan replied. 

Since it was getting late, they decided to set up camp and wait until morning. Before resting up that night, they all worked together to come up with a plan to infiltrate where the girl was located. Apparently, the group with Charlie were all located in the location Nick and his group were previously. Nick did say they had just took over their settlement, so it wasn’t really a big surprise that they were still staying there. Melanie was curious about everything that went down there, but she didn’t think Nick was ready to talk about it in detail, so she kept her curiosity hidden.

The next morning, both groups squeezed into Althea’s van and began heading towards Nick’s old location. Nick propped up against the window and stared out. His eyes focused on the scenery outside the window. Melanie climbed onto the seat next to him and began looking out as well. 

“You didn’t tell me about the girl,” She whispered to him softly, since all the others were surrounding them. “How come?” She tapped on the bottom of the window nervously awaiting his response.

“I didn’t want to rope you into this,” he sighed. “It’s dangerous.” 

“Why does everyone get the impression that I can’t handle myself?” She huffed, looking annoyed.

“You do look a bit beat up and worn down,” Nick teased, taking a moment to look Melanie over before returning his gaze back to the window. 

She was a bit offended, but she knew he didn’t mean it that way, so she let it slide this time. “I guess you can say things haven’t been easy for me either. Somehow, I always make it through though,” she said with a sigh. A sudden sadness suddenly washed over her as painful memories ran through her head.

“What happened after you left the ranch?” Nick turned away from the window and their eyes met. “Before you met up with these people?” 

“That’s not important.” Melanie averted her eyes and stood up from her seat. She began to feel uncomfortable. “I need to go over the plan with Althea again.” She began to walk to the other side of the van. She could tell Nick was about to say something, but he didn’t. She just wanted to avoid the conversation.

“Do you think this is going to work?” Melanie whispered as she approached Althea from behind. 

“Of course. Things will work out just fine,” She replied. Her hands remained firmly on the wheel as she looked ahead. The confidence in her voice was evident. 

“Stop the van!” Nick suddenly yelled from the back of the van. He then walked up to Melanie and Althea. Melanie turned and looked his way.

“We’re not there yet. You said its further ahead,” Althea stated as she continued driving. 

Melanie looked at Nick in confusion. She could tell he seemed to be really worked up over whatever he saw outside the window, which made her nervous. She looked out the window and saw that they were passing a service station that seemed to be overrun with walkers.

“I see their vehicle! I have to go now.” Nick walked over to the door. “I’m getting out whether you stop the van or not.”

“Althea?” Melanie called in a whisper. 

She was unsure of what to do. She knew that place was not safe, and Nick seemed more reckless than ever. Even if they all went together, Melanie knew it would still be extremely dangerous. She was not okay with Nick putting himself into that sort of danger again.

“Al, you keep moving!” Morgan called. 

Althea looked back and forth between the road and Nick. She began slowing down a bit. Just as Nick was about to open the door to the van, Althea slammed on the breaks. Everyone in the van lost their balance, nearly falling to the floor. As soon as the van came to a stop, Nick darted out the door. He did not even bother to shut the door back. Without even thinking, Melanie ran off after him. She followed Nick as he ran back towards the service station. She felt tired, but she forced her legs to go. She knew she had to.

“Be careful!” Althea yelled to Melanie, “We’ll catch up!”

“Nick!” Melanie called out desperately as she continued to chase after him. 

“Don’t follow me!” She heard him yell as he continued to run forward. 

Instead of yelling again, she fell silent. She knew her demands wouldn’t stop him at this point. He was too far gone, and it was going to take more than words. She continued to chase after him despite his objections.

Once they were close to the station, the walkers noticed them and began closing in. Nick made his way through them quickly. He avoided the ones he could and stabbed the others with ease. By the time Melanie had nearly caught up to him, even more walkers had approached. She cleared walkers with her knife as quickly as she could. Nick finally disappeared into the store, closing the doors behind him. She took a deep breath before pulling out her gun. She knew using a gun would attract them, but they were already coming. She had to get to Nick before it was too late.

Melanie cleared walkers left and right with her gun as she raced towards the double doors. Once she made it inside, she didn’t even attempt to block the doors. She was too preoccupied trying to find Nick. She ran between the isles frantically, hoping to find him before something bad happened. When she spotted Nick, he had a guy backed up against the wall with a knife to his throat.

“Where?” Nick demanded as he moved the knife closer to the guy’s throat, slightly cutting the skin. “Tell me now.” 

“Nick!” Melanie screamed. He ignored her call, not even looking back at her. 

Just as Melanie was about to attempt to pull Nick off the guy, she heard the tapping of shoes from behind. She slowly turned and saw a young girl standing before her. She assumed the girl was Charlie. Melanie let out a gasp, causing the girl to point a gun towards her. Melanie didn’t expect the girl to pull the trigger, so she took a step forward. Since this girl was supposedly Nick’s friend, Melanie thought she would be okay. Regardless, she knew she had to protect Nick at all costs. She had to bite the bullet.

“H-hey! Everything’s going to be fine, so-“ Her words were cut off as soon as the girl pulled the trigger. 

Melanie stood there in shock for a few seconds. She touched her aching stomach, noticing the red liquid staining her fingertips. She was having a hard time balancing, so she gave in and fell to her knees. Nick released the guy he had backed against the wall. The guy and the little girl immediately fled the scene, not saying a word. Instead of going after them, Nick rushed to Melanie’s side. He fell to his knees and attempted to support her back, but she didn’t remain upright for long. He caught her body as she fell backwards into his arms. He began to panic. 

“What the hell happened?” Althea’s voice echoed throughout the store as she approached the injured girl. Melanie weakly lifted her head, seeing Althea and Strand standing over her with shocked expressions.

“We have to get her out of here,” Nick said in a panic as he began lifting her up. She tried to speak, She tried to speak, but to no avail. She could feel the pain surging through her stomach.

The three of them worked together to get Melanie out of the store. Nick held her up as Althea and Strand protected them from approaching walkers. Alicia pulled the van closer and Luciana, John, and Morgan were ready to help lift Melanie into the back of the van.

“Put her in the back of the van,” Althea said. “Alicia, once we’re all in drive straight ahead.” 

As soon as the doors to the van shut, Alicia did as she was told. Melanie weakly stared, her vision becoming a bit blurry. She could see Nick, Althea, and Strand hovering over her as she lied there. She could feel pressure being held onto her stomach. She began to cough a bit, causing Nick to look more uncomfortable.

“Strand, you have to hurry up and do this!” Nick yelled to Victor before turning his attention back towards her. 

“I’m going to do the best I can. I’m by no means a professional,” Strand replied. “But, if you want me to do this right you have to be calm.” 

Melanie wasn’t even sure of what was going on. She could feel something sharp pierce her stomach. She whimpered as the pain in her stomach increased. She wasn’t sure she could take much more. 

“You really have become fearless,” Nick shuffled slightly, letting out a breath he had been holding in. “Maybe that’s not a good thing,” he murmured. He winced slightly as he noticed the amount of blood now staining Strand’s fingertips and the floor to the van. “I promise it’s going to be okay, Meli.” 

His soft words echoed through her ears as he stared down at her. Her vison was blurry, and her head was a bit hazy; nevertheless, she attempted to focus on the expression on his face and the words he was speaking rather than the pain she was feeling. She slowly reached for his hand, only to have his meet hers half way. He gently tightened his grip as hers began to loosen.

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A/N:  
Thanks for reading! I know things are starting off similarly to season 4, but they will veer off rather quickly. ;) Things will get super.....interesting.


	3. Who Are You?

Nick and his family had just recently arrived at the ranch. Nick didn’t particularly want to stay, but his mom wanted to stay; and he knew that they had nowhere else to go at the time. He spent some time exploring the ranch and getting what information he could from the residents. As Nick was walking along the fence, he noticed Troy speaking with what seemed to be one of the other residents of the ranch. Nick had seen her around the ranch, but he hadn’t spoken with her before.

“I need the truck,” The girl spoke in a stern tone as she gazed down at her own feet. She held her hand out and made a motioning gesture.

“What makes you think I’d just give you the keys?” Troy, the son of the head of the ranch, smirked as he clutched the keys to the truck in his palm. “Are you trying to leave?”

“The ranch is running short on some supplies.” She lifted her head up before continuing, “I’ll go.”

“I’ve told you this before. We send groups out for supply runs.” Troy looked the girl over before continuing, “You’re one person. I can’t send you out by yourself.”

She tightened her fist a bit. “You said I need to do more for the ranch and yet you won’t let me,” she huffed. “I’m fine on my own.”

“If you’d rather stick by yourself then why did you come to a place like this anyway?” Troy leaned against the truck, smirking once again. “You need people, but you don’t want them,” he said. She bit her lip and stared back at Troy.

“I’ll go with her,” Nick called towards Troy and the girl. Nick could tell Troy was giving her a tough time, so he decided to step in.

As Nick stepped towards them, the girl turned around to face him. He hadn’t seen her close enough before to notice anything other than her blonde hair, but now he was finally seeing a clear picture. She had long, straight, blonde hair accompanied by some bangs. Her hair was tied loosely into a side ponytail that fell onto her left shoulder; she had large, blue eyes that shone brightly in the sunlight.

“Eager for your first run, Clark?” Troy spoke as Nick stood before him and the unnamed girl.

“Sure. Let’s say that,” Nick spoke in a sarcastic tone as he crossed his arms.

Troy placed his hands on his hips before turning back towards the girl. “I guess I can let you go with Nick,” Troy said, handing the keys over to Nick. “But, he’s getting the keys.”

“Fine,” she said with a sigh. She approached the passenger side of the truck. Without another word, she opened the door and hopped into the seat. She immediately pulled her backpack off and placed it in her lap. Nick followed suit and climbed into the driver seat. 

Troy opened the gate for the two of them and waved as Nick began pulling out. Nick threw his fingers up from the wheel as he continued to clutch it. He looked at the unnamed girl out of the corner of his eye as she silently sat there.

“Where are we headed?” He asked.

“There’s a place straight ahead I’ve been wanting to check. It’s sort of hidden,” she said. She peered out the window as they passed dozens of trees. “I’ll tell you when I see it. It’ll be a little while.”

Nick fell silent for a while thinking over what he wanted to say to her. She was one of the few people on the ranch he hadn’t met with before. He was curious about what she knew about the ranch and the other residents.

“I’m Nick,” he finally spoke, keeping his eyes glued to the road.

“Melanie,” she said softly. She continued to peer out the window before finally speaking again, “Turn there.” She pointed towards a narrow, almost unnoticeable dirt road ahead that was surrounded by trees.

Nick drove ahead and turned on the dirt road. The road was dark due to the shade from the trees, which made things difficult to make out. After he drove down it a bit farther, he saw a small, beat up house ahead. He stopped before he could reach the driveway. He wasn’t sure how safe it was, so he didn’t want to get too close.

“So, this is the place?” Nick turned towards Melanie, making eye contact with the girl.

She turned her head and looked towards the old house ahead. “Yeah, it is,” she paused for a moment, biting her lip roughly as she gazed at Nick out the corner of her eye. “So, um,” she started as she carefully opened the door to the truck. “I’m going to just go inside and check things out. Stay here until I get back.” She stepped out of the truck and threw her bag over her shoulder. Afterwards, Nick opened his door and climbed out of the driver seat.

“I said I’d go too, so I plan on going,” He said as he made his way over to her side of the truck.

She stared at him silently as he stood before her. “No,” she said sternly as she crossed her arms.

“I wish you’d stop doing this.” Nick crossed his arms, giving her a questioning look. He could tell that she was acting off, despite that fact that he didn’t know her at all. Her body language, her actions and her speech – it was all so familiar to him.

“Doing what?” She spat.

“Acting so hostile.” Nick’s arms fell to his sides. “It’s not like I’ve done anything to you,” Nick paused, putting his hands in his pockets. “You can trust me.”

“I-don’t-know-you,” she emphasized each word as she glared at Nick with crossed arms.

Nick just shot her a small smile and shrugged his shoulders. She opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, but instead she turned away and directed her full attention towards the house. She placed her hands on her hips, letting out a sigh.

“Let’s hurry up and go in, okay?” Nick suggested. Melanie didn’t say a word, she just simply nodded.

Nick and Melanie quickly made their way up to the front door of the worn-down home. As soon as he placed his hand on the door knob, she tugged on his shirt sleeve. He turned to her in confusion as she shoved her hands in her pockets.

“I guess I should tell you that this isn’t just some run,” she said, taking a deep breath before continuing, “I was staying here for a little while.”

He let go of the door knob and turned towards her, narrowing his eyes a bit. “Why did you leave then?” he asked.

“I came across the ranch when I was scavenging. The ranch seemed safer.” Melanie glanced towards the house again before returning her gaze to Nick. “Like it would last longer.”

“What made you want to come back here?” he asked, leaning against the door to the house.

“I still have some supplies here and,” she said, averting her eyes and looking down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers. “Some personal things.”

Nick stood up straight and returned his hand to the door knob. He simultaneously pulled a flashlight out of his pocket with his free hand. He carefully opened the door, peeking his head inside the dusty, old home. He whistled inside a few times and shone his flashlight, hoping to attract anything that may be lurking. When nothing responded to his calls, he decided the ghost was clear. He opened the door up and turned to Melanie.

“Let’s get what supplies are here and whatever else you need.” He stepped inside, and she followed suit.

“Some canned food should be in the kitchen cabinets,” she said as she placed her bag beside him. “Also, medicine.” She pulled out her own flashlight and headed towards one of the bedrooms.

Nick walked into the kitchen and began searching where she had told him to. He found a ton of canned foods and medicine bottles, including a few bottles of medicine that had animals on the labels. He didn’t know if the animal medicine would be of use to the ranch, but he decided to snag it just in case. He quickly placed all the items into the large bag Melanie had brought.

He threw the bag over his shoulder and began walking in the direction she had went. When he entered the hallway, she stepped out of one of the bedrooms. The sad, yet blank expression on her face concerned Nick a bit. He examined her form, quickly noticing some sort of red band wrapped around her wrist.

“What’s that?” he asked, eyeing the new accessory. She immediately looked down at her wrist and ran her fingers across the material wrapped around it.

“A memory,” she muttered just before falling silent for a moment. She quickly pulled the bag from Nick’s shoulder and threw it over her own. “I’ll carry that,” she finished as she began walking towards the front door.

Melanie and Nick stepped out of the house and made their way towards the truck. Once there, they both climbed inside and just sat there for a moment in silence. Melanie continued to fiddle with the material attached to her wrist, only causing Nick to become more curious by the second. Nick quickly noticed how watery her eyes were as she continued to stare at her possession. 

“That’s very important to you, isn’t it?” Nick asked as he rested his hand over the top of the steering wheel.

Melanie nodded just before quickly wiping a tear from her eye and turning her face towards the window. “Why did you volunteer to come with me?” She changed the subject, wiping her eyes once more before facing Nick.

“Why not?” Nick shrugged his shoulders. “You wouldn’t have been allowed to go without a partner.”

“But, what’s the catch?” Melanie narrowed her eyes.

“Why would there be a catch?”

“People always expect something in return. That was true before the world fell, and it’s even more true in the world we live in now,” she said. She averted her eyes and looked up at the trees blowing in the wind. Nick was silent for a moment as he thought about his true intentions.

“I wanted to ask you about the ranch since I haven’t been there long,” he said as he began peering up at the windy trees as well. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t something else in disguise.”

“Really? The ranch is just like any other ranch,” she said with a laugh. “Cattle, crops and farmers.” She crossed her arms behind her head and rested her head against them. “I don’t know what else it would be.”

Nick was a bit caught off guard by her laughter. He could tell that she had relaxed a bit. He could tell that she wasn’t quite as suspicious of him as she was earlier. He wasn’t sure what he did that made her lower her guard a bit, but he didn’t really care. She reminded him of himself in a way. He had quickly become rather curious about the girl.

“But, that’s not all anymore,” he said. She turned her attention towards him and raised an eyebrow. “Who are you, Meli?” he asked, testing the water with the nickname. Melanie scrunched up her nose, returning her attention to the trees.

“Do-not-call-me-that,” she emphasized like before, letting out a huff of air. Nick smiled and laughed lightly, but his expression morphed back into a serious one immediately after.

“I’m serious though,” he spoke softly. “I want to know more about you.” Nick turned to look at Melanie. “When you’re willing to share with me, that is.”

She continued to stare above. “Maybe I’ll consider,” she paused, biting her lip like she did frequently. “But, only if you do the same.”

“That sounds fair.”

Soon enough, Melanie and Nick began heading back towards the ranch. The ride back was mostly silent. She had been yawning quite a bit, so he decided to just let her be and not bother her with more conversation. It wasn’t long before they had both made it back. Right after Nick pulled in through the gate, they both hopped out of the truck.

“See you later,” Nick called as Melanie began walking off. She stopped and turned back towards him, smiling lightly.

“Yeah,” she paused, tucking her bangs behind her ear. “Thank you.” She waved towards him, the material on her wrist flowing gently in the wind.

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A/N: Yes, this is a flashback chapter in case you hadn't already figured that out. 

The next chapter will of course have some focus on Meli, but not entirely on her. Lets just say that the next chapter is the turning point for the characters and things will begin to change drastically by chapter 6.


	4. Do You Blame Him For What Happened?

A/N: Alright, here's chapter four. Chapter five goes up next Sunday. This chapter is like the turning point of this story; more on that at the bottom of this chapter. 

Thanks for reading!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Althea took a seat in the passenger seat of her van as Alicia continued to drive. She kept turning her body to look towards the back of the van. Strand and Nick were tending to Melanie, completely blocking her view of her. Althea sighed just before turning forwards and staring blankly ahead. She knew that Melanie needed medicine and she had her mind set on getting it for her.

“Do you want to drive?” Alicia spoke softly, glancing at Althea for a split second before returning her attention towards the road.

“No,” Althea said. “I know there’s a drugstore somewhere up ahead, so just keep going.”

“You sure it’s not picked clean?”

“God, I hope not.” Althea looked towards the back one last time before returning to her original position. “Melanie needs medicine. We don’t have much.”

“Do you care about her?”

“Well,” Althea started, “When I record peoples’ pasts, I feel closer to them somehow.” Althea crossed her arms and leaned her head back. She paused for a moment as her mind began swimming. “I know it’s a bit strange,” she finished.

Althea had been interviewing people for as long as she could remember; even before the dead took over. She quickly became attached to every tape she owned. She found comfort in re-watching them. She felt like every person she had come across was still with her; like they’d never die so long as she held onto the tapes. The tapes reminded her that each and every person had his or her own struggles; that she wasn’t alone in the world of the dead.

“How long have you known her?” Alicia questioned.

“About a day.” Althea let out a small laugh that was accompanied by a smile, but the smile immediately fell after she remembered the situation at hand.

“I didn’t know Melanie back on the ranch, but I know a lot about her because of Nick.” Alicia said in a serious tone. “I know Melanie isn’t a bad person. I want to help her too, but you shouldn’t put your trust in people so quickly.”

“You’re saying I shouldn’t have trusted you and your people?” Althea narrowed her eyes as she stared at Alicia.

Althea considered herself a good judge of character; like she could just look at someone and know if they were good or bad. Despite how confident she was in her judgement, she did understand where Alicia was coming from.

“You’re just lucky you haven’t come across any really nasty people yet.” Alicia said, continuing to drive with her eyes glued to the road. “Offering strangers food or help for their stories won’t always work out how you want it to. If you’re not careful you will have everything taken from you.”

“Oh, I think I’ve seen my share of nasty people,” Althea stated.

“Even when things get worse than you ever imagined they would be, you have to remember that things can and will get worse if you’re not careful,” Alicia said. “Just don’t make the same mistake we did.”

After driving for a little while longer, they all finally made it to the drugstore. Alicia made sure to not park too close to the store just in case they needed to escape quickly. Althea wasn’t sure if the store even had anything left, but she knew she had to look. Alicia and Althea quickly hopped out of the van with their weapons in hand. They both turned and looked towards the outside of the van.

“Morgan, you take the wheel. If I give you a hand signal, you come to the front and pick us up,” Althea called towards the van. “John, you watch outside the store.”

“Luciana, come on,” Alicia called towards the van.

Once Luciana and John were out of the van, all four of them quickly walked towards the drugstore ahead. Luckily, there were no walkers in sight. Althea led the group, walking slightly ahead of the others. She held her weapon high, ready to strike if something were to attack. When they reached the doors, Alicia immediately entered. Althea turned around, noticing that Luciana was standing far behind.

“What’s wrong? You’re not coming?” She questioned, lowering her weapon

“This situation is oddly familiar,” Luciana replied. She shook her head no and crossed her arms. Luciana’s words suddenly reminded Althea of the story she had gotten from her that same day.

 

“Years ago, Nick convinced me and the Colonia to leave,” Luciana said, looking down at her own lap for a moment before looking back towards Althea’s camera. “We were going to be attacked. He said we had to find somewhere else safe before they showed up.”

“What happened?” Althea asked, focusing her camera as she eyed Luciana.

“We all left and found another community, but they were bad people,” she said. “They shot and killed everyone as soon as we approached the gate. Nick and I were the only ones that made it out alive. I had a terrible gunshot wound, but he helped me escape.”

“Do you blame him for what happened?” Althea whispered.

“No,” Luciana replied, shaking her head. “If it weren’t for him, we would have all stayed behind and fought an unwinnable fight. We would have all died anyway; including me. I owe my life to him.”

“Where did you escape to?”

“Nick threatened the same people that shot me and killed my people. Somehow, he and his mother managed to convince them to let us all stay at their ranch and get me treated.” Luciana sighed softly. “The person that shot me claimed that he was only protecting his community.”

“Do you believe that?” Althea asked.

“No,” Luciana glared. “He shot me because of my skin color. None of them wanted me there, so I left when I could.” She averted her eyes. “Then, years after I left the ranch, I was reunited with Nick and his group.”

“Do you love him?” Althea suddenly murmured, her camera shaking slightly.

“Yes,” Luciana said. She paused for a moment before continuing, “But, I’ve never been anything more than a friend to him.”

Althea stood there silently for a moment, still not quite out of her daze. Luciana remained quiet as well. John, who was near the store opening, approached the two of them. He placed a hand on Althea’s shoulder, giving her a nod. She shook her head slightly, causing her to regain her focus.

“We’ll both stand guard out here. Maybe you should go help Alicia,” he said. Althea glanced at John, then back at Luciana just before nodding her head. She held her weapon high once again, quickly heading towards the entrance of the store.

Althea slowly opened the door before stepping inside. She looked around for a few seconds before noticing Alicia crouching beside a shelf. She carefully approached her, kneeling beside her.

“Did you find anything?”

“There was some stuff left up front.” Alicia pointed towards the partially filled bag next to her. “But, we need to get into the back room behind the counter to get what we really need.”

“We either find the keys or break down the door,” Althea said.

“Yep,” Alicia stood up, throwing the bag over her shoulder. “The keys are our best bet. Breaking down a door will probably be a bad idea since we don’t know if any dead are around.”

“Not to mention that we have nothing to break it down with.” Althea began heading towards the counter. “Behind here is our best bet,” she said, climbing over the counter.

Alicia followed suit, climbing over the counter as well. They both rummaged drawers and various other things until Althea finally found what they were looking for. Althea silently held the key up, showing it off to Alicia with a grin. Alicia smiled back.

“Great,” Alicia said, relief evident in her voice. She quickly took the key from Althea and shoved it into the door’s keyhole. Once the two of them entered the room, they immediately began scooping up various medicine bottles and throwing them into the bag.

“You said you didn’t really know Melanie, but you were the first to charge in here.” Althea paused before continuing, “And I could tell you were desperate when you were searching for the keys.”

“Melanie may be the only person that can keep Nick together. Especially since…” Alicia suddenly fell silent before finishing her sentence. She placed the last bottle into the bag before throwing the bag back onto her shoulder. “She’s important to Nick and she needs help,” Alicia quickly said.

Althea and Alicia exited the store together. Althea threw her hand up, signaling for Morgan to pull the van closer. John and Luciana stood side by side near the entrance of the store, leaning against the building. As soon as Morgan pulled the van closer, Althea and Alicia began heading towards the back of it. They opened the back doors, revealing Nick, Strand, and Melanie.

“We found the medicine,” Alicia said, handing the bag to Nick.

“Thank you, Alicia,” he said softly. 

“Thank Althea. She found the keys to the room with the medicine,” she called as she began heading towards the driver side door. Morgan climbed out of the driver seat and took a seat in the back, allowing Alicia to take his place.

“Thank you,” he said as he turned towards Althea.

She shot him a small smile just before climbing in the back of the truck and turning towards Strand. “How is she?” Althea asked.

“With the medicine, she’s should be fine,” Strand said. “She’s very lucky.”

“Good,” Althea said. “That means we can all move forward.”

“All of us?” Morgan asked. “Al, you-“

“I changed my mind,” she simply said. She looked around the van, eyeing each person inside. “I’m headed east. You’re all welcome to tag along, but only if you pull your own weight.”

“Hold on,” John suddenly said, putting his hands out in front of him. He looked towards Luciana as she stood beside him.

“We’re staying here,” she said, a serious expression plastered on her face. “John’s looking for someone here, and I still have unfinished business here. Neither of us have a reason to leave, so we’re staying.” Luciana looked towards Nick, then towards Alicia, who was looking back from the driver seat. “Our plans haven’t changed, have they?” she finished.

“Saving Charlie is out of the question now,” Alicia stated as she walked towards the back of the van, looking towards Nick.

He silently nodded as he looked down at his own lap. “But, we can’t let those people get away with what they did,” Nick said. “They destroyed everything we built and we don’t-”

“I don’t think Melanie would agree with what you want to do, Nick.” Morgan cut Nick off, earning the attention of everyone. “Isn’t that why she ran after you in the first place? Before you took off, I could see it; I could see it in your eyes. It wasn’t just about saving the girl. It was also about revenge,” Morgan said. “But, revenge won’t make you feel better. Right now, you have to think about what’s best for Melanie. You already almost got her killed today.”

Nick stared at Morgan in silence for a few seconds, then averted his eyes. He looked towards Melanie. He moved his hand towards her, but then quickly moved it away. He stood up from the floor and walked to the front of the van, taking a seat in the passenger seat.

“I’ll go,“ Nick said softly, still faced away from the others. “Take care of yourself, Lucy.”

Alicia turned around and walked back towards the front of the van. She climbed back into the driver seat, sitting across from Nick. Due to her actions, Althea assumed she was coming along too. Althea turned to Strand.

“I’ll tag along too,” Strand said.

“So, that’s it then?” Luciana asked, eyeing Strand since he was the only one in her group that hadn’t walked away from the conversation.

“Perhaps we’ll cross paths again someday,” he said, a small grin appearing on his lips.

“Thanks for all the help, Al,” John said, a small smile on his face. “I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah,” Althea simply said. “You’re welcome.” She nodded, placing her hands on her hips.

“I wish you all could stay, but I understand why you can’t,” John said. “When Melanie wakes up, tell her that I wish her the best.”

After Althea gave them some food and a quick goodbye, Althea closed the van’s doors. She gazed out the window for a moment, watching as Luciana and John walked towards the drugstore entrance. She let out a small sigh before walking up to Alicia. She stared Alicia in the eyes, then glanced back towards the back of the van before returning her attention to her. Alicia got up from the driver seat and took a seat in the back. Althea sat down in the driver seat, both eyes on Nick.

“It was supposed to be me.” Nick crossed his arms, staring off into a random direction. “If Melanie wouldn’t have came after me, Charlie would have shot me. I’m almost certain that bullet was meant for me,” he sighed before continuing, “And if it was I may not have been as lucky as Melanie.”

“You made a mistake. Hell, I’ve made plenty of those,” Althea paused. She sighed softly before continuing, “You just have to own up to them. Luckily, things worked out okay this time.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I wish it had been me,” he said softly, staring into Althea’s eyes. “Even though things worked out in the end, she didn’t deserve it.” Althea stared back, surprised by his words.

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A/N: So, I'm assuming I might get the question: "Are you just throwing away Luci and John??" 

OF COURSE NOT. Why on earth would I do that? 

Anyway, this is in no way the end of Luci and John's journeys. It's only the beginning.


	5. Sometimes You Have To Bite The Bullet.

A/N: Next chapter goes up next Sunday, but I may take a week or so off from updating after next week. (Maybe.)  
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Melanie’s eyes slowly fluttered open. She groaned softly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her body felt rather sore. She looked to her left, noticing that she was sprawled out on a blanket. She could see the legs of someone sitting to the left of her. That’s when she noticed that she was on the floor of Althea’s van.

“So, you’re finally awake.”

Melanie heard a somewhat familiar voice. She raised her head slightly, noticing Strand, one of the people Nick showed up with. She stared off into the distance as she tried to organize her thoughts.

“Where’s Nick?” Melanie sat up a bit and leaned against the side of the van. She felt pain in her stomach, but she did her best to ignore it.

“Nick and the others will be right back,” Strand replied. “Althea wanted to siphon what gas she could from the vehicles scattered on the highway.”

“Oh,” she simply said before falling silent. She began wracking her brain, trying to remember things clearly. She remembered Strand and Nick being beside her before she faded out. She knew she had been shot. She assumed Strand had to have been the one to save her, but she wasn’t sure. She was a bit hesitant to ask. “You treated my wound?” she finally asked.

“Yes.” He nodded his head, clasping his hands together. “Though, a professional would have been able to do a better job,” Strand said, laughing lightly. “You’ll likely have an unsightly scar, so I must apologize for that.”

“Thank you very much,” she said. “Well, most people have scars these days. It would be more unusual if I didn’t.” She laughed nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Suddenly, Melanie heard the van door sling open. Althea was the first to quickly make her way up the steps. She signaled for Strand to get down onto the floor. He did as he was instructed, and she followed suit. Melanie stayed in place since she was already on the floor. Alicia, Morgan, and Nick made their way inside soon after Althea, each of them crouching down on the floor as well.

“Quiet. There’s a herd approaching, and we have no choice but to wait it out,” Althea whispered under her breath, softly setting her gas can down beside her. Walker groans quickly became apparent, and they continued to increase in volume as they approached.

Nick was crouching near Melanie. She eyed his form as he faced the other direction. She wanted to say something, but she knew she had to be quiet for a little while. She stretched her arm out, barely reaching his jacket. She tugged it lightly, causing him to slowly turn around.

“Hey,” she mouthed to him, smiling awkwardly. 

Nick’s eyes widened a bit. He gave a quick nod, a slight smile tugging at his lips for a split second. He quickly turned away, returning his attention towards the other direction. Melanie’s smile faded. She turned her head away, blankly staring at the side of the van. She nervously fiddled with the fabric adorning her wrist as she continued waiting for the herd to pass.

After all the noises died down, Althea slowly stood up. She walked over to the back window, peering outside. After a few seconds, she turned towards everyone and signaled for them to get up. Everyone, except Melanie, got off the floor.

“Alright. The herd has passed,” she said. She looked towards the now awake Melanie. She slowly made her way over to her, crouching down to her level. “How are you doing? Good to see you awake.”

“I’m fine,” Melanie said. She held her arm over her stomach, wincing slightly as she shifted her body. “Where are John and Luciana?”

“They stayed behind,” Alicia said. Melanie turned her head, noticing Alicia sitting across from her.

“I know John wanted to look for someone, but Luciana…” Melanie stopped speaking.

“It’s not that surprising,” Alicia said, letting out a small sigh. “When she sets her mind to something it’s hard to make her change it. She said she wasn’t done back there.”

“I see,” Melanie muttered. “So, the rest of you are sticking with Althea too then?” She glanced at Althea. Althea nodded her head. Then, Melanie returned her attention towards Alicia.

“Yep.” Alicia pointed towards Nick, who went to sit in the front passenger seat of the van. “Even Nick.” Nick remained seated, not reacting to the mention of his name.

“I thought so,” Melanie whispered softly. She carefully returned to a resting position on the floor, staring at the ceiling of the van; her mind swimming.

Alicia made her way towards the front of the van. She looked back towards Althea before taking a seat. Althea nodded her head lightly, crossing her arms and leaning back. Alicia immediately plopped down into the driver seat. Right after she started the van up, they were back on the move again.

Alicia continued to drive ahead. She glanced towards Nick for a second, noticing that he was staring off into nothing. She returned her full focus to the road as they seemed to have ended up in the middle of nowhere. As she continued to drive, she noticed a narrow dirt road surrounded by a wire fence. She quickly turned on the road and proceeded forward.

“Why are you turning here?” Althea asked as she was peering out the window.

“It looks promising,” Alicia simply replied as she continued forward.

Alicia knew it wasn’t safe for them to stay on the road in their current situation, so she was hoping she had struck gold. If something were to happen to the van, Melanie wouldn’t have much of a chance. She knew that she needed somewhere to rest up for a short while. Alicia didn’t think the floor of a van was a good place for an injured person to recover.

Within no time, a normal sized home surrounded by a large fence with a gate came into view. The road they were on turned out to be a driveway. Alicia impatiently pulled the vehicle forward and parked outside the large gate. She eyed the home eagerly, hoping for some sort of escape. Somewhere safe they could go for just a little while to recover from all they had endured recently.

“Do you think its safe?” Morgan asked.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Alicia replied, opening the door and stepping outside of the van. “We need a proper place to stay for now. It’s not safe to stay on the road with Melanie in the condition she’s in.”

“What makes you think it’s any safer here?” Nick asked, stepping outside the vehicle and walking over to her. “If we were going to stop we could have just stayed at the drugstore too.”

“The drugstore won’t last,” Alicia said sternly. “This place may actually have food and supplies.”

Alicia wanted to believe that Luciana and John would be okay back at the drugstore; she knew better though. Even the best of settlements won’t last forever. She knew the poorly secured drugstore wouldn’t last long. Even though she wanted Luciana to stay, she knew that she had her reasons for leaving. Alicia knew that Luciana had made up her mind. She knew that she was ready to move on.

“Let’s not forget beds,” Althea chimed in as she stepped out of the vehicle and approached the two of them. “I can’t remember the last time I slept in a bed.” Alicia nodded.

“Althea, lets go.” Alicia held her weapon up, looking to Althea for approval. Althea nodded her head.

“Alright,” Althea said. She turned towards Nick, who was still standing near the two of them. “You and the others be ready if something happens.” Alicia and Althea began walking towards the fence. Nick followed behind and quickly caught up to them.

“I’m going too,” Nick said. Alicia stepped directly in front of him, preventing him from proceeding any further.

“You stay with Melanie and the others.” Alicia demanded. She stared directly into his eyes, searching for what was going through his mind. He quickly averted his eyes, putting his hands in his pockets.

“I just think I’d be better use if I helped the two of you,” he said softly. “They can tend to her needs better than I can anyway.”

“You’re avoiding her,” Althea stated. Nick and Alicia looked towards Althea, who was ahead of the two of them. “That’s not going to make anything better.”

“She’s better off with them protecting her,” he said as he turned away from Alicia and Althea. “Because I couldn’t.”

“Nick, we don’t have time for this right now,” Alicia said. She was becoming annoyed with her, like she often did. “She got shot because she had to protect you because you were being reckless like always.”

“You don’t have to try so hard to protect her. She’s a grown woman. How do you think she survived all these years without you? She changed, Nick,” Althea said. Nick turned towards Althea.

“How the hell would you know?” He spat.

“I think I know more than you know,” She stated. “She obviously didn’t tell you everything she told me.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she really enjoyed you shoving that stupid camera in her face,” he said. “But she had to deal with it because you bribed her, didn’t you?” Nick walked around Alicia and continued towards the gate. Althea watched as he walked off.

“Why do you use that camera?” Alicia suddenly asked. Althea turned towards Alicia.

“I don’t want to forget the people I meet,” Althea paused for a second before continuing, “once they’re gone.” Althea began making her way towards the front of the gate, where Nick had stopped. Alicia followed suit.

“I’m guessing its locked,” Alicia said, looking towards Nick.

Nick crossed his arms, eyeing the gate. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll climb over and see if I can unlock it from the inside.” With the help of Alicia and Althea, Nick made his way over the tall gate. Just as Alicia was about to say something, one of the doors to the gate opened slightly. Nick peeked his head out. “I’m going to need help opening this.”

“Wait,” Alicia started. She walked forwards, stepping past Nick and passing through the small opening in the gate. Althea followed suit. “We check out the inside first. If everything checks out, we open the gate and bring the van inside,” Alicia said.

Nick quickly caught up to Alicia and Althea. He reached for the doorknob and turned it slowly. Nick, finding it odd that the door was unlocked, slowly peeked his head inside and whistled. He could hear distant growls. He pulled his knife out of his pocket and slowly entered the old home. Alicia and Althea followed suit.

The others began searching other areas while Nick walked towards the source of the noise. The noise led him down a narrow, short hallway. He reached the door of what appeared to be a bedroom. He lightly tapped on the door, which led to something scratching on the other side. When he opened the door, the walker stuck its head out the door and tried to attack. He immediately slammed the door onto the creature’s neck, shoving his knife into its skull afterwards. Nick breathed heavily, opening the door and letting the creature fall to the floor. When Nick gazed inside the room, he quickly realized what had happened to the former human. The scattered pills and bottles on the floor were all he needed to connect the pieces.

Nick had struggled with drugs for a majority of his life. He had gotten clean on several occasions, but not because of influence from his family. The only thing that kept him clean was the shortage of what he called medication. He didn’t want to admit it, but the sight before him bothered him. It bothered him because he knew that he almost ended up the same way.

Nick continued to silently eye the medication strewn across the carpet. He wanted it. He shouldn’t take it, but he still craved it. He stepped inside the room, feeling anxious as he did so. Just as he was about to reach towards the floor, he heard a slight tap behind him.

“What are you doing?” A very familiar voice came from behind him.

He held his breath, standing up from the floor quickly. He turned to face the person behind him. Before him stood Melanie. His eyes quickly made their way towards her stomach. Her dingy, white shirt was stained with dried blood and was torn slightly. He looked up at her face as she stared quietly. He let out his breath.

“You scared the hell out of me,” he said. He stepped closer to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “You know you were supposed to wait until we were done checking the place. What if something had happened?”

“Nick,” she said, pulling the side of her shirt over slightly. She moved her hand down to her side. She gripped the gun that was tucked into the pocket of her jeans. “It’s not like I don’t know how to use a gun. How do you think I caught up to you at the service station?”

“So, you do remember what happened?” he asked. A pit began to form in his stomach as he awaited her answer.

“Yeah, pretty much,” she said. She placed her arm over her stomach, glancing down at it for a few seconds. She immediately walked past Nick, plopping down on the bed in the bedroom. He eyed her curiously. “It’s pretty sore, but I’m just glad I can get around if I have to.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I shouldn’t have been so reckless,” he sighed before continuing, “again.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said. “You had a good reason for doing what you did. I know you were just trying to do what you thought was right.”

Nick stayed quiet for a moment as he thought over what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath before making his way over to the bed. He took a seat next to Melanie. As much as he wanted to look away and avoid confrontation, he decided not to. He looked her straight in the eyes. He felt vulnerable; he felt uncomfortable. He still felt guilty.

“At first I felt awful because I thought I had failed to protect you,” he said. “But, then I realized that you were the one who protected me.” He continued to look into her eyes, attempting to read what was going through her mind. “If you hadn’t followed me, I would have been the one shot,” he said, pausing for a few seconds. “I probably would have died if you hadn’t chased after me.”

“Well,” she said, letting out a small, nervous laugh. “This gunshot was worth it then.” She smiled, crossing her legs on the bed. She pulled her gun out of her pocket and placed it on her lap. She stared down at the weapon, clutching it loosely. “This entire situation reminds me of something you told me not long after we met.”

“What did I say?” he asked curiously.

“You told me that the living fear bites and bullets more than anything,” she said. “But, sometimes you have to put that fear aside to protect the people you care about.” She tightened her grip on the gun, looking back up into his eyes. “Sometimes you have to bite the bullet.”

“Hey,” a voice suddenly called, catching the attention of Melanie and Nick. The two of them looked towards the door as Alicia entered. “The rest of the place is clear. We also found some food and supplies,” she said. She looked down towards the walker and the pills scattered across the floor. She narrowed her eyes at Nick.

“I’m guessing they died of an overdose,” he said, pointing towards the walker at Alicia’s feet. “I’ll bury them soon.”

Alicia glanced at Melanie, then back at Nick. “Pick up the loose pills and re-bottle them. They could be useful to Melanie,” she said. She returned her attention towards Melanie. “We’re going to stay here until you’re fully healed. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes,” Melanie replied. “Thank you.” Alicia nodded her head just before leaving the room.

Nick got off the bed and crouched down to the floor. He picked up the pill bottles and began collecting the scattered pills. He placed them into their appropriate bottles and closed them tightly. He stood back up, clutching the pill bottles. He silently stared at the bottles for a moment, then quickly shook his head. He approached Melanie, holding the bottles out to her.

“Hang on to these, okay? Even the ones you don’t need,” he said.

“Alright,” she said, taking the bottles. “Let’s go see what the others found, okay?”

Melanie got up from the bed, clutching her side as she did so. She smiled, but Nick knew that she was just trying to fight through the pain she felt. He admired her strength. As much as he hated to admit that Althea was right, he had to admit that Melanie had changed quite a bit.

When Nick first met Melanie, she was somewhat like a hermit; a lone wolf. She was strong on her own, but she had to figure out that companions were necessary in the new world; that putting your trust in others and letting your guard down was okay so long as you chose your companions wisely. Nick had struggled with a similar issue, which was partly why he felt a connection with Melanie.

“Okay,” he finally said, eyeing Melanie as she continued to clutch her side. “Don’t strain yourself. You probably shouldn’t be moving around this much.”

“Alright, fine,” she said, letting out a huff as she turned and began walking towards the door.

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A/N: More on Luciana and John next chapter. It'll be a very important chapter. Thanks for reading!


	6. Just Stay Safe.

A/N: Thanks for reading! It means the world to me. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!  
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“Luciana, how much farther do we need to go?” John followed behind Luciana as she held her weapon high. John kept his hand on the gun concealed in his pocket. As the two of them were walking, he eyed the sky as the sun began to set.

“Not too much farther.” He watched her form as she continued forward. Judging by her silence, he assumed she had a lot on her mind. She barely spoke to him since they split up with their previous groups.

“it’s about more than the girl, right?” He asked. “About revenge?” He stopped in his tracks. She halted as well, turning to face the man behind her. “What’s on your mind?” he finally asked.

“They shouldn’t have left,” she said. “I watched all the children from my village die. Charlie is a good kid, and she doesn’t deserve the same fate.”

“But, didn’t the kid shoot Melanie?” John paused, placing both of his hands in his pockets. “And then Nick said the bullet was meant for him.”

John knew that Nick felt guilt for what had happened. Though, he understood why he darted at a chance to help the kid. Nick lost someone he thought he knew; and he also unintentionally caused someone he really cared for to get shot. As much as he wanted to stay for Nick and Melanie, he knew that they were in good hands. He knew that there were others that needed him more. Even though Charlie had shot Melanie, he could not bring himself to believe that a child her age would do something like that intentionally.

“We weren’t in there, John,” she said, her voice shaking slightly. “We don’t know what her motives were or what really happened.”

“I suppose you’re right there,” he said, nodding his head. “Maybe we should hear her side then?”

John hadn’t even considered that she might have had a reason for shooting Melanie or Nick. He couldn’t imagine Melanie doing something cruel to the child, but he knew next to nothing about Nick or his past. All he knew was what Melanie said about him.

“That’s my plan,” she said, eyeing John closely. “But, I need your help.” She lowered her weapon slightly and took a deep breath.

“Alright. What do you need?”

“Well, first I have a confession to make,” she paused for a moment, “This isn’t some run. We’re heading towards the stadium. The place where the girl is.”

“Alright,” he said. “Just so long as you have a plan. How do you plan on the two of us going up against all of them?”

“Wait, so you’ll help me?” she asked. “Even after I lied to you?”

“Yeah, I will,” he replied. “You’ll help me find Laura, won’t you?”

“Of course,” she said. “Thank you.” Luciana shot him a quick smile, which he immediately returned.

Afterwards, Luciana explained her plan to John. She explained that since The Vultures didn’t know he had anything to do with the Clarks or their group, that he might be able to make his way into their group. She also told John where Charlie’s room once was when she was with her and the Clarks. Though John was a bit hesitant, he agreed to her plan. He knew that this was important to her, and she did agree to help him with his mission once they were finished. Though he hadn’t known Luciana long, he trusted that she was doing the right thing.

Once Luciana and John were close to the stadium, they found a hiding spot. The two of them got into a lying position on the ground, then she pulled out her binoculars. She peered through them, noticing several of the Vultures looking out from above. She handed the binoculars to John, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a walkie talkie.

“There are quite a few of them up there,” he said as he peered through the binoculars. She nudged his side and held out the walkie talkie for him. He placed the binoculars next to him and turned towards her, taking the device.

“Only use this during an emergency,” she said. “I’ll find a way in after you. I need you to find Charlie.”

John carefully approached the stadium. Once he was near the gates, he held his hands up in an attempt to show that he meant no harm. He looked up and locked eyes with one of the people standing on the balcony-like structure above. Guns were immediately pointed at him, and he swallowed nervously.

“I mean you no harm,” he said loudly. “I’m just looking for some help.”

“You need help, huh?” One of the men above said. “And why should we trust you?”

“I’m just one man. I’m outnumbered,” he replied. “I have no reason to try anything.” The man above quietly began whispering to the others around him. John tried to listen in, but he couldn’t make out their words. The man he was speaking to pulled out his walkie talkie and held it to his mouth.

“Mel, we have a situation here,” he said.

“What kind of situation?” The man on the other side of the walkie, who was supposedly Mel, questioned.

“Can you come to the lookout near the gate?”

“Fine. I’ll be right there.”

John stood there silently as the men continued to point their guns at him. His mind was racing as he was waiting for the man named Mel to arrive. He was starting to get tired of holding his arms up. When he was about to put them down, another figure came into view on the balcony.

“Oh, so he wants to join our group?” Mel asked. The other men simply nodded, not moving their guns. “Open the gates. Take any weapons he has on him.”

When the gates opened, several men swarmed John. They ordered him to stand still as they searched him for weapons. He did as he was instructed. They stripped him of his walkie talkie, his gun, and his knife. He knew things were quickly going downhill when they took his walkie talkie. He had no way of getting in contact with Luciana anymore. Once they had searched him, he was told he could put his arms back down; which he immediately did.

“What’s with the weapons and the walkie talkie?” Mel asked as he approached him.

“For protection from the dead,” he took a deep breath. “And a friend of mine used to have the other walkie, but they’re gone now. It’s all I have left of them,” he lied.

“Story checks out,” Mel simply said, slapping him lightly on the back. John flinched slightly. “I’ll show you inside and we’ll find you something to do.” Mel and the others grouped around John and they all began heading inside the stadium together.

After John had been shown around by Mel and provided with a place to stay, he quickly slipped out of his room. He carefully avoided any of the few people that hadn’t gone to bed at this point. Once he was sure he was at the structure where Charlie stayed, he slowly turned the door knob. He slipped inside the small area, noticing the form of the sleeping girl. The girl shifted in her bed, most likely noticing the footsteps of her intruder. When she opened her eyes and noticed him before her, she quickly shot up out of bed. Just as she was about to open her mouth, John quickly spoke up.

“I’m Luciana’s friend,” he pleaded. “Don’t yell, I’m not here to hurt you.” He fell to his knees, trying to get into a less threatening position.

“Why are you here?” she asked. “Where’s Luci?” The girl narrowed her eyes, tugging on her bed covers.

“This was Luciana’s plan. She wanted to get you out of here,” he said. “I’d let you talk to her, but they took my walkie talkie.”

“You mean this?” A familiar voice taunted.

The voice, which was accompanied by the creaking of a door, came from behind John. He stood up and held his hands up once again, slowly turning around to face him. When he turned around, he noticed Mel holding his walkie talkie up high. A smirk was plastered on his face. Mel suddenly stepped to his right, revealing something that horrified him.

“Laura?” he asked in shock. “What are you doing?!”

Before him was the woman he called Laura. The woman he had spent so much time searching for. She had a tight grip on Luciana, holding a gun to her head. Luciana stared at John with a horrified expression.

“My name is June,” she said. “Why did you two come here?”

“We came for the girl.” John paused, taking a deep breath. “What are you doing with these people?” He paused for a few seconds, staring into her eyes. “Why did you leave me?”

“You were never meant to make it in this world,” she said, shaking her head no. “I did what I had to do to survive,” she said sternly, her voice cracking slightly.

“We were fine back there,” he said. “I don’t understand,” he paused for a moment before continuing, “You said you loved me.” At this point John was rather distraught. He thought he knew her. He thought she cared as much as he did. Now, she was threatening to kill one of his newly found companions.

“No.” June shook her head once again. “I know that place is gone now. If I would have stayed with you, I might be gone too.” She sighed. “You’re so delusional. You really thought that we could make it in such a dangerous place just because we had each other. No, things don’t just work out like they used to before. Things are different now.” June held the gun closer to Luciana’s skull. Luciana shut her eyes tightly.

“We’ll go.” Sorrow filled John’s voice as he spoke softly. “Just don’t hurt my friend, please,” he pleaded. He stared into June’s eyes desperately, then he looked towards Mel.

“Let her go,” Mel finally said. “We have nothing to gain from killing either of them. They’ll just die out there anyway. Might as well go ahead and send them on their path to hell.”

June released her grip on Luciana. She sighed softly just before quickly stepping closer to John. Luciana and John glanced back at Charlie one last time before returning their focus to the people in front of them. Mel and June escorted the two intruders outside the gate, pointing their guns towards them the entire way. Once Luciana and John were both rather far away from the gate, Mel and June discarded the items they had taken from them. They went back inside and closed the gate without uttering another word. Luciana and John quickly grabbed their belonging before walking away from the stadium. They both kept their eyes ahead of them, not wanting to risk their lives by looking back.

Luciana and John quietly began walking back to the drugstore. John knew that Luciana was upset about what happened with Charlie. He was heartbroken over what happened with June, but he worried about Luciana more. He had no idea how close she and the girl were, but he knew that she was desperately wanting to help her. He wanted to do something, but he knew they could never return there. He also noticed that the girl didn’t seem too upset about staying there either. He had so many questions, and yet he remained silent the entire walk back to the store.

When they were back inside the drugstore, Luciana took a seat on the floor and propped her back against the wall. John followed suit, eyeing her the entire time. She looked down at her lap and sighed.

“Hey, I’m sorry things didn’t work out,” he said. “I wish I could have done more. Honestly, the kid didn’t seem unhappy there.”

“Maybe she is. Maybe I was selfish for wanting to protect her,” she said. “I’m sorry about Naomi,” Luciana paused for a moment, “Or was it Laura or June?” She shook her head lightly. A small, sad laugh escaping from her lips. “I don’t know anymore.”

“You did what anyone would have done. I don’t think you were being selfish,” he sighed. “And she never told me her real name, so I called her Laura.” He rested his head against the wall, staring up at the dark ceiling. “I thought I knew her,” he paused for a second before continuing, “but maybe I was wrong.”

“She was with our group for a little while before she left,” Luciana sighed. “I never imagined she would go to their side.”

“Can I ask you a question?” he quickly blurted out.

“Go ahead,” she replied.

“Is there another reason you wanted to leave the others so badly?” he asked.

Just as Luciana opened her mouth to speak, gunshots could be heard outside the drugstore. Luciana and John stared towards the front door for a few seconds. John quickly got up from the floor and put his finger to his lips. Luciana stood up and attempted to step forward, but he extended his arm and stopped her.

“We have to figure out where that came from,” she whispered. John nodded.

“Stay put for now. I’m going to see,” He held his walkie talkie in his hand. “I’ll get in touch if something goes wrong.”

John slowly exited the building, pulling his gun out of his pocket. He held it high, slowly turning and pointing it in various directions. He held his walkie talkie in his other hand, tightening his grip as he became more paranoid. When no one came into view, he lowered his gun and lifted his walkie talkie to his mouth. Suddenly, he heard the cocking of a gun and he froze.

“Go ahead. No one’s stopping you,” the stern, cold voice of a woman made its way through John’s ears.

He sighed softly before speaking into the walkie talkie. “Just,” he paused for a second, thinking over his actions. “Stay safe.”  
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A/N: See? They're both just fine... or are they?


	7. Alabama.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it.  
I'm so excited to introduce even more new locations and characters soon.   
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Strand peered out the back window of the home they were taking refuge in while Melanie healed. He squinted his eyes, noticing Melanie’s form adorning the small swing surrounded by greenery. She was clutching the ropes tightly as she slowly kicked her feet back and forth, staring ahead. He hesitantly exited the back door and approached the girl from behind. He lightly tapped her shoulder, earning her gaze.

“Oh, hello Victor,” she said. “You almost scared me.” A small laugh escaped her lips as she continued to swing a little.

Victor’s lips curled up slightly. “You seem like you’re feeling well this morning. I think we should inform Althea that we can move forward,” he said, letting out a small sigh and crossing his arms. “This is a nice place and I’d like to stay, but no place lasts forever. We’ll have to move on.”

“Do you think John and Luciana are okay?” Melanie’s cheerful expression faded as soon as she blurted out that question. “I don’t really know much about why or when they left, but I wish I could have seen them off.”

Just as Strand opened his mouth to speak, he heard the click of a gate shutting. He turned his head towards the noise, and Nick’s unkempt hair caught Strand’s eye as Nick was walking away from the outside of the fence. Strand narrowed his eyes and silently watched for a few seconds before turning back towards Melanie.

“Are you up for spying?” He asked. She silently nodded her head.

Strand and Melanie silently followed Nick through the trees, careful not to make any noise. Since they were both used to quietly avoiding the dead, they succeeded in going unnoticed. As they continued to follow the blood covered boy, the sound of walkers emanated from ahead. Nick stopped in his tracks, eyeing what was before him. Strand and Melanie stopped as well. Strand narrowed his eyes, quickly noticing the movement from beyond the trees. There were tons of walkers surrounding what was beyond the woods. As he looked closer, he recognized the building they were swarming. It was the drug store

As they continued to crouch down in the woods, Nick began making his way out of the woods and approaching the building. A soft gasp escaped Melanie’s lips, earning the attention of Strand. He looked towards her, unsure of what to do. He didn’t know if he should just sit there and wait or attempt to follow Nick into the building. Even though Strand was concerned, he couldn’t just spring after Nick.

“We’re not going to just sit here,” she muttered, roughly grabbing Victor’s wrist and tugging.

Melanie stood up slightly and whistled softly. She continued to do so until a few of the dead began making their way towards the two of them. She pulled out her knife, looking towards Strand and signaling for him to do the same. He did as he was instructed and pulled out his weapon, readying himself for the approaching threat. As soon as the creatures were close enough, they shoved their knives into their skulls with ease. Without a single word, they ripped the creatures apart and doused themselves in their innards.

“Is it bad that I’ve done this several times now?” Strand muttered under his breath, his nose scrunching up due to the putrid smell.

“Eh,” she shrugged her shoulders. “Ripping them apart is better than them ripping us apart."

After they had finished covering themselves in bits of the dead, they carefully made their way out of the woods. Strand stuck close by Melanie’s side, nervously looking from side to side as they walked through the herd of creatures. He froze just as soon as he brushed against one of the dead. She tugged on his wrist, leading him towards the entrance of the store. They opened the doors, closing them behind them as soon as they entered.

Once the two of them made it inside, they let out the breaths they had been holding in. Strand scanned the room, noticing several dented, knocked over shelves and a few of the dead strewn across the floor. Since no lively walkers were in sight, the two of them made their way towards the back room. The door was wide open, so they peered inside. His eyes widened slightly at the sight before him. There was Nick, crouched on the floor near a large blood stain. His unkempt hair fell over his eyes as he stared at the floor. Strand quickly grabbed onto Melanie’s arm because he knew she was likely to lunge towards Nick.

“A-are you okay?” she asked softly. “I don’t understand. Why would you come here and put yourself in danger again?” Her voice echoed throughout the room, undeniably heard by the blood-soaked Nick. Though, he refused to respond to her words.

Strand tugged on Melanie’s arm, earning her gaze. He shook his head no. “This is the place,” Strand whispered to her. “This is where John and Luciana stayed behind.”

Melanie’s eyes widened a bit, quickly becoming shiny from forming tears. She shook her head no, wiping her eyes roughly before returning her attention towards Nick. Nick stood up from the floor, slicking his hair back. Strand couldn’t read the expression on his face. Nick’s head was still hanging low, and it was obvious that he was avoiding all eye contact. After a moment, Nick walked past his two companions.

“Let’s get back,” Nick said softly as he began heading towards the entrance of the building.

When the three of them made it back inside the back gate, they could see Alicia standing on the porch. She looked really upset, but she remained silent as the three of them approached the house. Nick was the first to charge up the steps to the porch. Melanie and Strand slinked behind slowly.

“Where the hell were you all this time? Why are you bloody?” Alicia asked. “We were worried.” Nick silently walked past his sister and made his way inside the house, completely ignoring her question. Melanie and Strand made their way up the porch steps, coming face to face with Alicia.

Melanie let out a sigh, rubbing her arm slightly. Even though she chose to pretend like everything was okay, she was pretty upset about what the three of them had seen. Even though she had only known John for a short while, she considered him a friend. She knew Nick and his group really cared about Luciana, and she also believed she would have liked her as well if she were given the opportunity to get know her. She wanted to believe that they were alive, but the state of the drug store was telling her different. She was also upset that Nick had put himself in danger again, but she did understand his motive.

“We were at the drug store,” Strand said. “I don’t think Luciana and John are…” he stopped talking as soon as he looked into Alicia’s eyes. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she refused to let them fall. She quickly looked away from Strand and focused her gaze on Melanie.

“Althea and me,” she paused for a second, still attempting to keep herself together. “We were just packing. You should be healed by now, so we can travel again. We can’t stay in one place for too long.”

Melanie nodded her head. “I’ll be fine traveling,” she said, shooting Alicia a smile in an attempt to brighten the mood a bit. “But, I’m going to need to get cleaned up first.”

Before long, they all hopped into the van and were on the road again. Melanie stared out the window, watching as the house became smaller as they drove away. She continued to watch the scenery outside the window as they quickly passed it by. The sound of wind as they drove began to make her eyes feel heavy. She looked around the van, noticing that Strand and Morgan were asleep. Alicia was driving, and Althea was eating in the passenger seat. Melanie turned towards Nick, noticing that he was silently peering out the window like she had been.

“What’s the view like?” Melanie asked, climbing onto the spot next to Nick and peering out the window again.

“Just green,” he replied bluntly.

She eyed him as he continued to peer outside the window. His messy hair was flowing slightly in the wind. His eyes looked so full, yet so empty at the same time; she couldn’t read what he was feeling. She knew very well that he wasn’t okay; however, she also knew that no one was truly okay anymore.

“Hey,” she whispered softly. “If you want to talk about it, I’m right here.”

“There’s not much to say,” he replied after a moment, biting his lip slightly. “I’m just sick of losing people I care about. It doesn’t matter how many times it happens, it never gets easier.”

“Yeah.” She lightly tapped on the bottom of the window as she struggled to form more words. “But, as hard as it is, we have to move forward in order protect those of us that are still alive. It’s cruel that we don’t get enough time to properly grieve.” Melanie continued to look towards Nick, eventually locking eyes with him once he turned towards her.

“I didn’t say anything to you about this before, but I lost my mom,” he said, his eyes becoming watery. “I know you were probably wondering about her.” He took a deep breath, exhaling before continuing, “Losing them both all of a sudden is just…”

“I’m really sorry,” she muttered under her breath, feeling an unsettling feeling in her stomach as she continued to look into his eyes. Tears welled up into her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “Really, I am.”

“I want to believe that they’re both out there somewhere. I want to believe that my mom is out there looking for me…. again,” he said, a sad laugh escaping his lips. “That’s just wishful thinking though.” He shook his head lightly. 

“Maybe not,” she said, looking back towards the window. “I tried to believe that you were still out there. I’m not so sure I was ever completely convinced though.” She let out a small, nervous laugh.

Before long, everyone in the van except for Althea and Alicia had given into sleep. Despite being in a cramped van, they managed to get some rest during the long journey. Althea and Alicia soon began taking turns driving so each of them could get some rest. The journey wasn’t too long, but it was long enough for them to be itching to stretch their legs. Luckily, they did get the opportunity to do so when they had to stop and scrounge for gas.

“Got some more gas. This should last us a while,” Althea said as she quickly plopped down into the driver seat, while Alicia climbed into the passenger seat.

Althea was eager to finally reach their destination. She truly believed that their destination held good things for them; that they would all be able to find somewhere peaceful. She wasn’t exactly sure why she felt that way, but she really believed it deep down. She just knew that everything was going to turn out okay.

“How much further, exactly?” Nick asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Where are we, anyway? You told us next to nothing about where we’ve been headed all this time.”

“We’re in Alabama already, so now it’s just about searching,” she replied with a smirk. “I have a good feeling about this place.”

“Searching?” Morgan asked. “Al, what makes you think it’s any safer here or that there’s anything here for us?”

“I lived here for several years. I think we have a better chance of surviving in a less populated area.”

Althea had had good experiences living in Alabama, and she honestly wished she could have stayed there before. She thought for sure that it would be easier to survive in a less populated area than Texas. She really believed that Alabama was worth giving a shot; that Alabama was a good place to begin working towards a peaceful future for her and her newly found companions.

After driving for a bit longer, the smell of the ocean made its way through Althea’s nose. She drove by several small buildings that seemed to be souvenir shops. Quite a few of the dead were lurking, but not nearly as many as anyone would have expected. Althea was pleasantly surprised by the smaller amount of the dead around. In Texas, there was no shortage of walkers; however, no place was without at least some of the creatures.

As Althea continued to drive, she noticed a few large structures ahead. Something about them seemed promising to her. She knew that they needed to find somewhere to stay soon, so she figured the buildings were worth checking out. As she continued to approach the structures, she realized that they were condominiums on the beachfront. There was a large parking lot full of abandoned cars between the two different condominiums. Without a second thought, Althea slowed the van down and pulled into the parking lot. A few of the dead swarmed outside the van, scratching on the sides as Althea casually parked the vehicle.

“So, you’re thinking we should check this place out?” Alicia asked. “Do you really think it’s safe?”

“We won’t know unless we check it out,” Althea replied, lazily resting her wrist on the steering wheel. “I mean, high up is good, right? We could build around this place and secure it.”

“Aren’t you getting a bit ahead of yourself?” Strand asked. “We don’t even know if this place is safe. Who knows what lurks inside the different apartments.”

“Well then,” Althea said, pulling her knife out of her pocket. She opened the van door, immediately ramming her knife into the skull of the walker that had been outside her door. Afterwards, she hopped out of the van and put down the rest of the walkers that had been scuffing up the outside of her van. “We should get to it then. There’s no time to waste.”

Without any complaints, the rest of the group followed suit and hopped out of the van. When they were all out, Althea began making her way towards the flight of stairs located on the right; the others followed behind without any questions. She figured they might as well start with one building at a time. There was no need to check the other one so soon, for there was already enough apartments to check in one condominium.

“Maybe we could get this done faster if we split into groups of twos and check different floors,” Morgan said.

The six of them quickly stepped onto the first floor of apartments. Althea looked ahead from the balcony, noticing the view of the beach ahead. The beach had walkers roaming around, but not so many that she thought they couldn’t be cleared. She then looked to her left, noticing the long row of apartment doors. She bit her lip, thinking over Morgan’s suggestion.

“I guess that could work. This place doesn’t look too overrun. It doesn’t seem like something we can’t handle.” Althea listened carefully, hearing nothing but the wind and the sound of distant walkers.

After everyone had split off into twos, Althea and Melanie decided to take the top floor. As they were making their way down the balcony, Althea could plainly hear the screeching of walkers. She could tell it wasn’t the sound of the walkers on the beach, it was much closer. Suddenly, as they walked by one of the apartment buildings, they noticed the door bulging slightly. Melanie accidentally let out a loud gasp, which ultimately set off the creatures that were trapped inside the apartment. The door quickly fell, allowing the creatures to flood out.

They quickly began tugging on the doorknob of the closest apartment, which happened to be locked. Suddenly, that door began to bulge as well. They both immediately began trying the next doorknob, trying to keep their composure as the flood of walkers quickly approached from the left. Finally, after trying so many doors without any luck, Melanie managed to open the door to one of the last apartments on that floor. As soon as they were both inside, they blocked off the entrance and silently crouched down on the floor. A single walker suddenly approached from the back room. Melanie quickly stood up, shoving her knife into its head before crouching back down on the floor. Melanie held her head down, tightly covering her ears as the sound of scratching began filling the area. Althea just stared her down silently, unsure of what to do.

“Althea,” Melanie muttered. “I’m so sorry I got you into this.”

Althea scooted closer to Melanie, wrapping her arm around her back in an attempt to comfort her. “It’s not your fault. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. Everything is going to be fine,” she muttered back.

“No, it is. This is my punishment,” Melanie murmured, lifting her tear stained face up. “If we’re going to die here, I need to get something off my chest. There’s a part of my story I didn’t tell you.”

“But, I don’t have my cam-“

“Forget the damn camera,” Melanie spat, cutting off Althea’s words. “It’s my fault Nick’s mom is dead, and there’s nothing I can do to change that.” Melanie began roughly wiping her face. “He told me about her being gone today, and I just couldn’t tell him that I knew what happened to her.” She continued to sob, attempting to wipe away the unending tears. “I don’t want anyone else to die because of me. Not again.”

Althea stared back at Melanie in shock, unsure of how to respond to her. Althea didn’t have that much knowledge about Nick’s mom since he was reluctant to talk about her, but when she was interviewing him he did say that he thought she was dead. Althea silently tightened her grip around Melanie, rubbing her back slowly as Melanie silently cried.


	8. Something More to Fight For.

“W-what?” Luciana asked in a panic as she clutched the walkie talkie tightly. “John, what’s going on?”

Luciana was very concerned about John’s safety. His words over the walkie talkie were blunt, yet full of emotion. It was obvious to her that something was wrong, and she had no intention of just sitting back and doing nothing. She knew he wanted her to stay put, but she knew that if she did that something bad may happen to John. She was not willing to let someone else die when she could save them.

Luciana quickly grabbed her gun and began making her way towards the entrance of the store. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. She lifted her gun up high, then stepped outside the building. When she stepped out of the store, the sight before he shocked her. She froze and remained silent for a few seconds.

“M-madison?” Luciana choked out.

Luciana’s eyes were wide with confusion. She thought for sure that Madison was dead. Her eyes began to well up as she stared at the woman before her. Madison continued to point her gun towards John’s head, but her eyes were on Luciana. After a moment or so, Luciana lowered her weapon and stood there awaiting Madison’s response.

“Oh my god,” Madison finally said. “Luciana, I thought you were-“

“Please, lower your weapon,” Luciana said, cutting off Madison’s words. Luciana faced John, noticing the shock and confusion on his face. “That’s John. He’s a friend.”

“Alright, if you say so,” Madison replied as she nodded her head, lowering her weapon immediately after. Madison stared at Luciana for a second, desperation evident in her eyes. “Luci, where are my kids? Are they okay?”

“I-I don’t,” Luciana began, swallowing roughly before finally getting her words out, “I don’t know. They’re not with me.”

Luciana was in a bind. She didn’t want to lie to Madison, for she cared about her a lot. Technically, saying that she didn’t know where they were wasn’t that far from the truth. She didn’t know their exact location; however, she did know what direction they were headed towards. She knew that if she told Madison that her kids had headed east, then she would do the same. Luciana had no intention of heading in that direction, and she didn’t want Madison to either.

Despite what had happened previously, Luciana still had every intention of taking back what was rightfully hers. When she and the Colonia ran, they all died, and she was almost dragged down with them. She attempted to stay and fight for the stadium, but ultimately ended up running again. She had decided that she wasn’t going to run anymore; that she would fight until the very end. She was certain that she needed Madison to help her put an end to the Vultures once and for all.

“So, that’s how it is,” Madison said, a hint of sorrow in her voice. “I need you two to come to our camp. We have some planning to do.”

“Our camp?” John asked.

“Yeah,” Madison replied as she began walking ahead of the two of them. “I’m not on my own out here.”

Without any further questions, Luciana and John began following Madison. They all walked silently, not a word exchanged between the three of them. After walking for a short while, Luciana noticed a fire burning in the distance. As they approached the bright light, a few people sitting around it came into view.

“Madison, why have you brought these people here?” The man clutched his gun tightly, his full focus on Luciana and John. The young woman sitting beside him, who appeared to be pregnant, just stared with a concerned expression on her face.

“I got separated from Luciana when those people attacked the stadium,” Madison replied, turning towards Luciana. She then turned towards John. “And John is a friend of hers, so he’s fine too.”

“Fine,” the man replied, lowering his gun.

“His name is Daniel,” Madison said, turning towards the old Hispanic man. His hair and beard were full of gray, and his hairline seemed to be receding. Madison then turned towards the pregnant woman sitting near him. “And that’s Karen.” She had short, black hair tied into a ponytail. She had rather pale skin and appeared to be of Asian descent.

Luciana and John took a seat across from Daniel and Karen, while Madison took a seat next to Karen. The five of them sat there silently for a few minutes, allowing the fire to warm up their bodies. Madison held her gun on her lap and stared down at it intently.

“You said we have planning to do. What did you mean by that?” Luciana finally asked.

“We should take back what is ours,” Madison looked up from her gun and stared keenly into Luciana’s eyes. “I say we strike tomorrow night. Daniel and I trapped a herd of walkers that were giving us trouble. Turns out they might be useful.”

“You’re not going to set them all loose are you?” John asked.

“We use the walkers as a threat,” she replied. “My kids could still be trapped inside there. If they are I plan on getting them out safely.” Madison turned towards Daniel. “Do you think you can help by leading the dead with your truck?”

“I will help,” Daniel said. He looked towards Karen, then turned his attention towards Luciana and John. “They kicked her out when food became scarce. They are worse than the dead.”

“She was one of them?” Luciana asked.

“Not anymore,” Karen said. “I had wanted a way out since I figured out what kind of people they were, but when I became pregnant I stayed for the baby. Their way of doing things is disgusting.”

“What do you two say?” Madison asked, focusing on Luciana and John.

“Do you intend to get Charlie out of there too?” Luciana asked.

Suddenly, the sound of walkers came from the distance. Madison looked to her left, noticing a couple of walkers approaching her camp. Daniel was about to leap up, but Madison held her hand up and signaled for him to wait. Once the walkers were merely feet away from them, Madison jumped to her feet and shoved her knife into the skull of the first one. She kicked the remaining walker’s legs, allowing it to fall to the ground before ending it as well.

“Of course, Luci,” she replied, dragging the walkers towards the nearby truck. “Now that we have these we’ll be better protected.”

“How?” Karen asked.

“Cover yourself in the innards of the dead and they can no longer tell you apart from themselves,” Daniel said.

“Alright, that sounds good,” Luciana replied just before turning towards John. “Will you help us, please?”

“If it means saving that little girl and Madison’s kids,” John replied.

The five of them soon decided that it would be best if they rested up at the drugstore. Madison, Daniel and Karen didn’t have any shelter other than the truck, so they were willing to take any sort of shelter at that point. They all piled into Daniel’s truck, then made their way to the drugstore. Once there, they all finally got some rest. They knew that they would need it for tomorrow night.

By the time the next night came, they had all become rather familiar with the plan Madison had came up with. Madison claimed that she only cared about saving her kids and Charlie. She claimed that she had no interest in mutilating the Vultures; that she only wished to watch them scramble and lose everything like she had. Though, Luciana had a hard time believing Madison’s true intentions were so non-violent. Considering how much she knew about Madison, she assumed that Madison had every intention of slaughtering the Vultures. Luciana feared that the lie she had told would blow up in her face rather soon.

“Karen, you must stay behind,” Daniel said, smearing walker blood along his cheekbones. As if on cue, the others began dousing themselves in the innards of the dead as well. “Even so, you can never be too safe.” Daniel scooped up a large amount of walker guts in his hands, holding them out to Karen. She scrunched up her nose at the stench, but quickly began covering herself just like the others. She gagged at the horrid smell, but miraculously managed to keep her food down.

They instructed Karen to stay in the back room of the drugstore and wait until they returned. They knew that it would be possible for some of the walkers to split off from the herd, so they wanted to make sure she would be secured in the back room. So long as she was quiet, the walkers would most likely just pass by the store. Once they were sure that the doors were locked tightly, the exited the store and began heading towards the truck.

“Daniel, can I trust you to keep the walkers in check?” Madison asked. “We need them nearby in case of emergency, but you have to be careful not to let them get off track or out of control.”

“I am the dog, they are the sheep,” he replied, climbing into the driver seat of the truck. “I’ll circle them around nearby. Let me know if the plan changes.”

Madison nodded, then climbed into the passenger seat. The others followed suit, climbing into the back of the truck. “Luciana, if things go wrong and we need the walkers, let him know,” Madison said, turning towards Luciana. Luciana simply nodded.

Daniel drove the others towards the stadium. They made sure to get out of the truck before they had made it all the way there. If Daniel had just dropped them off at the entrance, their plan would be rather pointless. Daniel drove off to gather up the herd of walkers. Luciana, Madison, and John quietly made their way through the woods and began heading towards the stadium. When the stadium was in sight, Luciana and John crouched down in the woods, readying their guns in case they needed to protect Madison.

Luciana watched as Madison made her way up to the front gate. She found it rather dangerous, but she went along with Madison’s plan anyway. At this point, she knew that all she could do was clutch her gun and strike if they were to turn on Madison. As she anxiously watched Madison approach, John comfortingly placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Is that you, Madison?” Mel called from above as Madison approached the gate. “I guess I should welcome you back then.” He smirked, causing Madison’s expression to morph into an annoyed one. Once Madison was standing directly in front of the gate, the other Vultures standing near him pointed their guns directly towards Madison. “What the hell are you doing back?”

“I want my kids back, Mel,” she replied, throwing her hands in the air. “Don’t force my hand.”

Mel laughed lightly. “You know just as well as I do that they didn’t make it,” he said. “But, that’s your fault, isn’t it?”

“And Charlie?” she simply asked, averting her gaze. She lowered her arms, placing them to her sides. She tightened her fists, biting her lip slightly.

“The girl left, so you’re out of luck again,” he replied. “Too bad. She made herself pretty useful. Maybe she just wasn’t up for it anymore.” Mel laughed once again, crossing his arms. “Madison, I must say I’m truly sorry about your kids. Maybe next time you’ll learn to-“

Suddenly, without warning, Madison pulled her gun out of her pocket as Mel was speaking. He was so absorbed in his spiteful words, he didn’t even notice when she pulled the trigger. The gun went off, forcing a bullet into Mel’s forehead. His body dropped to the floor instantly. A few of the Vultures on the balcony-like structure went to Mel’s side, while the rest began shooting at Madison. She managed to doge almost every bullet, making her way into the woods near Luciana. One of the shooters managed to nick her leg, so she didn’t get out completely unscathed, but she was well enough to walk at least. Madison quickly snatched the walkie talkie from Luciana’s grasp, pulling it to her mouth.

“Daniel,” Madison’s voice cracked slightly as she whispered into the walkie talkie. “Bring them now.”

“Okay,” he replied, the sound of his herd of walkers nearly drowning out his voice. “It won’t be long.”

Instead of following Madison into the woods, the Vultures flocked around Mel’s body. Luciana assumed that they figured Madison was hurt and wouldn’t make it, but that was far from the truth. She also knew that without Mel, they had no one to lead them; no one to give them their orders. Luciana, John, and Madison peered through the bushes. They could only see the Vultures crowding his body, but they were certain he had to be dead. The wound to his head was undoubtedly fatal; he most likely died on impact. Even though Luciana would have preferred if he had suffered more, she was glad that he was out of the picture. With the leader of the Vultures gone, victory didn’t seem too far away.

Within minutes, the sound of an approaching vehicle emanated throughout the entire area. The growls of the dead soon followed. Once the vehicle was in sight, it didn’t show any sign of slowing down. Luciana and the others watched from the woods as Daniel’s truck broke right through the closed gates without hesitation. As soon as the truck penetrated the gates, the dead began pouring in. As if on cue, the three hidden by the trees finally made their way into the open. They slowly waded through the herd of the dead, careful to not look suspicious. Luciana followed behind Madison as she led them through the large hole in the gate. She watched as the dead began devouring the Vultures ahead. They tried to flee to the safety of the houses, but to no avail. Daniel could be seen fleeing from his truck, shooting down the dead and several of the Vultures without hesitation. He charged through the creatures, seemingly fearlessly.

Luciana noticed Ennis running towards one of the other buildings inside, so she split off from the others and followed him. The others began splitting off into different directions as well, each of them after a different enemy. Luciana tried to remain calm as she chased after him. Since she wasn’t walking slowly anymore, the walkers soon noticed that she wasn’t one of them. They attempted to take her down, but they were no match for her gun. She quickly cleared walkers left and right as she continued after Ennis. Once he was at the building, he noticed that it had been locked from the inside. He began slamming on the door, begging for entry. Luciana approached him, pointing her gun at him. She had cornered him against the building and there was no way out of it for him.

“Your brother said Charlie left. Do you know where she might have gone?” she asked.

“What?” Ennis narrowed his eyes in confusion. “He told me that she died on the run they went on together.”

“You’re lying,” she replied. “Please just tell me where she is.” Luciana tightened the grip on her gun, feeling her hands begin to shake. She wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. The thought of another child dying because she couldn’t protect them terrified her. She couldn’t believe his words.

“How would lying about this help me?” he replied, lifting his arms up in the air; a horrified expression on his face. “Her just leaving doesn’t make sense to me, so it must be true. We were always close, she wouldn’t have left me.” The horror on his face soon faded to sadness, causing Luciana’s nerves to get out of control. At this point, she was beginning to actually believe his words.

“I,” Luciana began, struggling to form simple words. “I don’t know.” Her hands continued to shake. She was clutching her gun so tightly that she felt as if it would break. Suddenly, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She flinched slightly, refusing to move her eyes from Ennis.

“Luciana, why are we still doing this?” John whispered from behind. “The people we were looking for aren’t here. At this point, we’re just putting ourselves in danger. We should just go.”

Luciana slowly lowered her gun, then turned around to face John. As soon as Luciana turned, Ennis bolted towards the other direction. Luciana sighed softly, unable to form words. She looked into John’s eyes, noticing what seemed to be fear and regret. She began to regret dragging John into their fight.

Luciana agreed to John’s plea, so the two of them began looking around for Madison and Daniel. Luciana held her head down, for she had just had enough. She was distraught by the news she received about Charlie, so she just wanted to get back to the drugstore. Suddenly, she heard the clicking of a gun. She lifted her head, noticing that June was standing before them with a loaded gun pointed towards the two of them. John stepped forward, leaving Luciana standing silently behind.

“You and Madison’s people,” June said. “just keep ruining everything for me.” Her hand shook slightly as she held the gun towards John’s head.

“Laura, please. We only wanted to help Madison’s kids and Charlie,” John pleaded, holding his hands up.

“I don’t believe you,” she replied, tearing beginning to well up in her eyes.

“We can just forget about everything that happened. You can just-“

“Hell no,” June cut off John’s words, lifting her weapon slightly higher and taking a few steps forward. “I’m done.”

As soon as her words left her mouth, John’s body became stiff. When June’s finger began to slowly apply pressure to the trigger, Luciana quickly acted. She lunged forward and knocked June down with her body. June’s gun went off, but it managed to barely miss Luciana’s cheek. Luciana leaned over June, pinning her to the ground as she stared into her eyes with a dead expression. Without further hesitation, Luciana pulled her gun out and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit June’s throat, quickly causing her to choke and struggle. After she finally met her demise, Luciana climbed off her and rolled over onto her back. Her eyes were full of tears, and she roughly gasped for air. She glanced up at John, who was now facing away from her.

“I’m sorry,” Luciana finally said after a couple of minutes. She slowly lifted herself off the ground and got up, immediately making her way over to John. She reached out to touch his arm, but immediately changed her mind and yanked it back. She let out a sigh. “I really am.”

“Thank you,” John replied. 

“Huh?” Luciana’s eyes winded as she eyed him curiously. “Why?”

“I did love her, but in the end, she turned on me,” he said, turning back around to face her. “You were only protecting us.”

“Oh,” she replied, unsure of how to respond.

“Come on,” he said. “We need to find the others and get out of here.”

Once Luciana and John reunited with Madison and Daniel, the four of them exited the walker infested stadium and began heading back towards the drugstore. Since Daniel had destroyed his truck, they were all forced to make it back on foot. They were all extremely exhausted and beginning to run low on ammo, so they didn’t particularly care for walking back. They were extremely lucky that they had walker guts protecting them from the dead rather than them having to waste any more bullets.

Once they made it back to the drugstore, they were severely surprised to see so many walkers flocking around the drugstore. They weren’t just loitering around, they were attempting to break down the doors. The four of them carefully pushed past the dead, somehow managing to make it inside the doors without letting any of the creatures inside. Once they were inside, they made their way towards the back room. When they unlocked the door, they were met with a surprising view.

“Y-you’re,” Karen began murmuring softly. “back.”

The floor was completely stained with red liquid. Karen was propped up against the wall. She held what appeared to be her newborn baby within her arms. The baby seemed to be wrapped in her jacket, which meant she was probably freezing herself. Daniel made his way over to her, immediately offering her his jacket. Luciana, Madison, and John quickly approached as well.

“Karen, how did you do this all on your own?” Madison asked. “Are you okay?”

Karen nodded. “I studied in the medical field, though I was never given the chance to do anything with that knowledge until now,” she replied. “I’m just lucky that nothing went wrong.”

“It’s good to know one good thing came about today,” John said.

“His name is Rei. I named him after my grandfather,” Karen said with a weak smile. “My grandfather raised me. When I was young, he joked about how I should name my first child after him. I always got nervous and claimed that I wasn’t going to have kids.” She laughed softly at her own words, her eyes becoming rather heavy.

“That’s wonderful,” Luciana said softly, glancing at Madison and Daniel who seemed to be in a trance. She then turned her attention back towards Karen. “You look tired. If you want rest, any one of us will watch over Rei.”

“Thank you so much,” Karen replied, immediately shutting her eyes after handing over Rei. “I’m so,” Karen’s words began to soften. “tired.”

Luciana stared down at Rei, remembering the children she once knew. Luciana’s eyes filled up with tears, and before she knew it a drop of warm liquid splattered onto the baby’s cheek. She wiped it away quickly. “I’m sorry,” she said to the newborn. “I’m a little overwhelmed right now.”

“We are all blessed to be witnessing this,” Daniel said, tears in his eyes as well. “But, we must find somewhere safe for this child to grow up. It doesn’t need to know the filth of this world; not yet at least. This world took my wife and my daughter; I won’t let it take him.”

“My,” Madison began, tears filling her eyes as well. “My children may be gone, but then again they might still be out there somewhere.” The tears began to fall rapidly. “I never thought I would have to move forward without them. They’re the thing I’ve been fighting for all this time.” She looked towards Karen, then towards Rei. “But, now I think I do have something more to fight for.”

“If the dead don’t head off soon, we’ll have to figure out a way to get the little one out of here safely,” John said, catching the attention of Luciana, Madison, and Daniel.


	9. Listen To The Ocean.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! 

It's possible that I may take a week or two off from updating after this update. Mainly because there are some things I want to do with this story and I don't want to be in a rush to have the next chapters posted. I try and write some chapters ahead so I have time to fully go over them and make them just the way I want, but I've gotten a bit behind on that.

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Nick and Alicia made their way onto one of the lower floors and quickly began checking the apartments. They checked the first one but didn’t find much more than a few canned items and bedding. Once they stepped out, they marked the outside of the door, so they could come back for the items later. Since they had so many apartments to check, they figured it would be easiest to mark which apartments had supplies and were safe. Alicia turned the doorknob to the second apartment door, opening the door.

“Hey,” the stern, yet amused voice of a woman called. Alicia lifted her gun, taking a few steps inside. Nick followed right behind. Alicia looked to her right, noticing a young woman and a young boy sitting near her at the table. The woman had lightly tan skin and straight, black hair tied into a bun. She had light blue eyes that stood out rather well next to her dark hair. She looked like she was in her twenties. The young boy’s skin was slightly paler than the woman’s, but his hair was just as dark. His eyes were a dark, grassy green. He looked no older than eight. The woman held her gun up and pointed it at Alicia. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit excited. I mean, new people don’t come around often.”

“We didn’t know anyone was here,” Nick said, stepping forward and holding his hands up. “We were just checking to see what’s here.”

“I gotcha,” the woman said calmly. “Lower your weapons and I’ll lower mine.”

Nick looked towards Alicia as she continued to point her gun at the woman. His eyes eventually met hers as he pleadingly stared, hoping she would back down. She let out a sigh, then lowered her weapon. The woman followed suit, placing hers on the middle of the table.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from behind. Nick and Alicia turned around, noticing Morgan, Strand, and another man standing behind them. The man had no weapon, in fact, he looked rather nice. He had lightly tan skin, short brown hair and eyes the color of the ocean. He looked like he was in his 30s.

“Looks like you two found some new friends of your own,” the man said, looking towards the woman and the young boy. The woman smirked, letting out a small laugh. The young boy just sat there and stared at the newcomers curiously.

“I guess you could say that,” the woman said, standing up from her chair and walking over to Nick and Alicia. She leaned forward a bit, invading Nick’s personal space. Nick just stared silently, feeling slightly uncomfortable and confused. “Hm, you really don’t seem so bad. Definitely not threatening.” She stared into his eyes for a moment, then looked towards Alicia. “I guess you’re okay too, but that look on your face is scary as hell.”

“Are you going to tell us who you people are?” Alicia finally asked, eyeing the woman skeptically. “We need to catch up with our other group members soon.”

“Oh, yeah sorry. I’m Violet,” the woman said, pointing towards herself with a smirk. “That’s my brother Silas.” She pointed towards the man standing near Morgan and Strand. “And that troublemaker there, that’s Shiloh. He’s Silas’s son and my nephew.” She pointed towards the young boy.

“I’m not a troublemaker,” he stated fiercely as he stood up from his seat.

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, champ,” Violet said, causing the child to cross his arms and pout.

Just when Nick was about to say something, loud growls and banging could be heard from above. Nick jumped slightly, remembering that Melanie and Althea were still searching the apartments. Everyone fell totally silent for a few seconds, trying to figure out the origin of the sound.

“Oh shit,” Violet said, biting her lip. “It sounds like the dead are loose.”

“What do you mean loose?” Nick asked, beginning to panic.

“We locked some of the dead in a few of the apartments, so they would be out of our way. It sounds like they got free.”

“Melanie and Althea were on the floor above us. They are probably in trouble,” Strand said.

“Come on, we have to go now,” Alicia yelled, quickly making her way towards the door. The others in her group began following without hesitation.

“Wait!” Silas called, following the two of them. “Violet and I will help you.” Alicia and her group paused, looking towards the others.

“Really?” Morgan asked.

“Yeah, really?” Violet asked, seemingly upset by Silas volunteering her for something.

“Yeah, we sort of caused this,” Silas replied. “If we would have taken the time to dispose of them, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Alright, fine, let’s just hurry up and go,” Violet said. Silas, Violet and the others began making their way out the door, then Shiloh tugged on Violet’s sleeve, stopping her in her tracks.

“I want to help too,” he begged.

“No way in hell,” she said, pushing Shiloh off her. “Look, if you stay here I promise we’ll all play a game together later.”

“With the new people?” Shiloh asked, excitement evident in his voice.

“Ah, um,” Violet said, looking a bit confused. “Sure, why not?” Once Violet had convinced Shiloh to stay put, she locked the door behind her, then quickly caught up with the others.

Nick and the others violently began slashing the approaching walkers as they made their way up the flight of stairs. As the walkers began to close in on them, Nick quickly realized that their knives weren’t going to be fast enough to clear them all safely. Nick pulled out his gun, sticking the gun to one of the dead’s heads and pulling the trigger. Strand looked towards him, his mouth agape.

“Nick, are you crazy?” Strand asked.

“You’re not the first one to ask him that question,” Alicia answered for Nick, looking towards Strand. She pulled her gun out as well. “But, he’s right. There’s no way we can do this without guns.”

Everyone quickly accepted that they had to go all out; that they needed to use their guns despite the risk of attracting more of the dead. If they would have continued to simply slash through them, someone, if not everyone, would end up meeting their demise. They quickly began plowing through the dead with their guns. Before long, they finally took down all the creatures. After the dead were out of the way, Nick and the others began frantically pulling doors open and looking for Melanie and Althea. When Nick opened the door to the next to last apartment, his eyes widened. There sat Melanie and Althea, crouched down on the floor. Althea looked up, smiling slightly. Her smile quickly faded when she looked to her left, noticing that Melanie still had her head down.

“Melanie, get up.” Althea said, pulling Melanie to her feet and helping support her body. Melanie lifted her head, looking towards Althea, then towards Nick and the others. “See? I told you everything would be fine.” Melanie simply nodded.

Nick quickly made his way over to her, looking into her eyes. Melanie stared back blankly, not a word spilling from her mouth. Nick grabbed her arms lightly, giving her a gentle shake. Althea stepped away from the two of them, making her way over to the others who had finally entered the apartment as well. They all stared silently as Nick stood before Melanie.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Because you don’t look okay.” Melanie simply nodded, not uttering a single word.

Nick was quite confused by her reaction. Normally, she would say something snarky, sarcastic or at least smile, but she did absolutely nothing. He narrowed his eyes at her, pressing his lips tightly together as he continued to grip her arms. Instead of saying anything else, he pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her waist. Yet again, she did nothing. Her arms dangled loosely by her sides, causing him to feel rather distraught and confused.

“So, um,” Violet began, her voice filled with awkwardness. She scratched the side of her head. “Maybe we should all figure out where to go from here?”

“That would be a good idea,” Morgan said, making his way over to the furniture. The others followed him, some of them taking the couch while others plopped down in the surrounding chairs. Nick eventually pulled away from Melanie, both walking over to the furniture as well. Melanie took a seat near Althea, while Nick sat near Alicia.

Once they were all seated, they all made sure they were familiar with everyone’s names. Nick and Melanie’s group informed the beach residents that they had no ill intent, hoping that they wouldn’t turn against them. Nick knew that if they were to gain the trust of the beach residents, then they most likely wouldn’t have to leave. Violet and Silas had told them that they hadn’t been there long, so not all the apartments had been scavenged. Nick was sure that there just had to be something for them hidden within the many apartments. He was eager to find whatever that something was.

“You people don’t seem so bad,” Silas said, clasping his hands together. “And I think you could be of use to us, don’t you think?”

“And what might that mean?” Strand asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I’m asking you all to stay,” he replied. “There’s enough space and supplies for everyone, and honestly, I don’t know if the two of us can protect this place on our own.” Silas looked towards Violet, noticing the large smile smeared across her face.

“Deal,” Althea quickly blurted out, causing the others in her group to stare her down. “We can build this place up. I believe there’s a future for us here.” Althea smiled, briefly glancing at each of her group members before returning her attention to Silas. “Together.”

“I want to stay too,” Nick said, eyeing the others that looked rather skeptical. “I know things went to hell last time we thought we found somewhere safe, but that doesn’t change anything.” Nick eyed Alicia, his eyes becoming a bit teary. “If we want a safe place, all we can do is fight for it. We could fall, I know that, but if we don’t try we’re all going to die anyway, so why not stay?”

“It’s settled,” Alicia said, taking a stand. “We keep this place together.” She looked towards Nick, a small, sad smile appearing on her lips. ”It’s what she wanted for us.”

Nick and the others agreed to move everything from Althea’s van to Silas and Violet’s apartment until they all decided on a living arrangement. As the others were exploring the apartments across from Silas and Violet, Nick was unloading the rest of the supplies in the van. He looked at the sun for a moment, wiping his forehead as the heat began to affect him. Suddenly, he felt a slight tug on his jacket. He looked behind him, noticing the young child he had met merely minutes ago.

“Shouldn’t you be in the apartment? Silas and Violet will be upset you know,” Nick said, picking up a box full of supplies. “What are you doing down here?”

“I just wanted to help,” he said, eyeing Nick pleadingly. “Please?”

Nick narrowed his eyes at the child, trying to figure out how to respond to his request. He looked towards the van, noticing a smaller box still sitting inside. He shrugged his shoulders slightly. “That box inside is all that’s left, so go ahead,” Nick replied. “Just be careful, alright?”

As Nick and Shiloh were about to head up the stairs, Nick came face to face with Violet. He looked behind her and noticed Melanie following behind her. Once he made eye contact, she immediately turned away. He sighed lightly, feeling rather concerned about her well-being.

Violet looked towards Shiloh and frowned, causing him to hide his face behind the box he was holding. “You’re not causing Nick any trouble, are you?” she asked.

“No, he’s not,” Nick said, looking towards the child. “He’s just helping.”

Nick and Shiloh moved over slightly, letting the two girls pass. Instead of looking to see what direction they were both headed in, Nick decided to withhold his curiosity and return to the apartment with Shiloh. He figured Silas was probably worried about him. He knew that Shiloh’s safety was more important than his curiosity. If something were to happen to Shiloh because of him, trouble would undoubtedly occur.

Melanie stopped in her tracks for a moment, looking behind her and watching as Nick and Shiloh began making their way up the flight of stairs. She let out a sigh, which happened to alert Violet that Melanie was no longer following her lead. Violet turned around and approached Melanie, lightly grabbing her wrist. She shot Melanie a small, friendly smile and tugged.

“Come on, Melanie,” Violet said. “You said you have never been on a beach before. Don’t you want to take a look at the ocean?”

“It’s safe?” Melanie asked, staring down at the pavement below her feet as she stood in the parking lot. “I’m just not up for fighting the dead right now. I’m tired.”

“We have things to talk about,” Violet said. “The beach is peaceful. It’s a nice place to spill your guts, you know?” Violet tugged on her wrist once again.

“I suppose it is,” she replied, sighing lightly.

Violet tugged on her wrist once again, beckoning her to follow her towards the ocean. Melanie gave in to the girl’s request and began following her. She winced slightly when she took her first step in the hot beach sand. Even though the sand was hell on her feet, she continued forward. Eventually, she took her first step into the tide as it came in. The water cooled down her feet, which felt nice. Violet plopped down onto the sand, Melanie followed suit. The two of them were still wearing regular clothes, but they just let the tide come in and drench their clothes without a care.

“Something’s up with you and Nick, huh?” Violet finally spoke, catching the attention of Melanie.

“What?” she asked, disbelief filling her voice. “N-no, not really,” she finished, turning away from Violet and looking out at the ocean.

“Hey, I admit that I may come off as a bit childish at times, but I’m not stupid,” Violet said. “Any person with half a brain would have been able to tell something was up right off the bat.”

“I guess there is no use in lying, huh?” Melanie said, nervously fiddling with the sand. “I feel responsible for something bad that happened, but I can’t tell him about it because I’m afraid.” Melanie slid her knees up, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on them.

“I’m kind of in the same boat; well, a similar boat anyway,” Violet laughed nervously, biting her lip. “Silas and I don’t have the same bond we used to have; not since then…”

“What happened?” Melanie asked curiously, now eyeing Violet.

“Promise you’ll tell me what your deal is afterwards?” Violet asked.

“Yeah,” she replied. “I promise.”

“Silas’ wife,” Violet started, biting her lip roughly. “She got bit and I killed her before she turned.”

“But, that was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?”

“I had no right. She was Silas’ wife. She was my friend, but her heart belonged to him,” Violet said. “I feel like he resents me for it.” She roughly wiped a tear from her cheek. “The worst part is, I lied to Shiloh and told him that she left to help other survivors.”

“I see,” Melanie said, fiddling with the sand once again. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. He does ask about her from time to time, which is heartbreaking to say the least,” she said softly, wiping away any remaining tears. “Please, tell me yours.”

“Years ago, I got separated from Nick and the others. After a while, I met up with Nick’s mom when she was on her own. The dead attacked, and she begged me to go so I just… ran,” Melanie said, her eyes welling up with tears. “I should have stayed, even if it meant dying.” Melanie placed her hands over her eyes. “I just recently ran into him again. He didn’t mention anything about her to me until today, and I just…”

“You didn’t cause her death, Melanie. You just said she told you to go. She wanted you to live,” Violet said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I think you should tell Nick.”

“There’s no way I can,” Melanie muttered.

“You know what?” Violet stood up from the ground, dusting the sand off her body. “You should stay here a while. You have a gun, you’ll be fine.”

“But why?” Melanie removed her hands from her face, looking at her in confusion. “You’re leaving?”

“The ocean is a nice thinking spot. Think things over,” Violet said as she began walking back towards the parking lot. She stopped in her tracks for a moment, continuing to face away from Melanie. “You may find that you’ll only find peace if you rid yourself of secrets. If you don’t want to listen to me, listen to the ocean.”

Melanie silently watched as Violet continued to walk away; watching until her form disappeared into the distance. She was a bit confused by what Violet meant when she told her to listen to the ocean. She sighed, looking back towards the ocean as the waves crashed roughly. She was sure that she couldn’t tell Nick what happened, and she was beginning to regret telling Violet about her secret. The only reason she told Althea was because she thought she was going to die, and yet Violet managed to pull it out of her within no time. Melanie and Violet barely knew each other, and yet Melanie felt like Violet could read her like a book.

Melanie suddenly stood up, almost seeming entranced by the water before her as the sound of the moving water filled her ears. She walked forward, the water becoming higher up her body the farther she went. Once she was far in, she relaxed and began floating on her back. She lied there for a while, eyeing the sky as the clouds slowly began to emerge. The sky darkened, but not because it was nighttime. Rain suddenly began to fall from the sky, drenching her even more than she already was. The waves became stronger, throwing her body around roughly. Thunder began to sound, but she didn’t notice it all too much; she didn’t seem to care. At this point, she almost felt like she was welcoming death; like she wouldn’t mind if the ocean decided to take her. She felt rather peaceful as she listened to the sound of the rain and crashing waves. She didn’t care that the water was filling her mouth and nose; she didn’t care that the waves began to push her under. All she cared about was the peaceful feeling the ocean provided her with.

She slowly closed her eyes, letting the sound of the water continue to occupy her ears. Her body began to tingle, which was a weird sensation for her; she didn’t dislike it though. As the waves continued to crash, she suddenly felt pressure on her ankle. Within a second, she was pulled further under the water. She opened her eyes, wincing at the feeling of the salt water. Though the water was murky, she noticed the creature grabbing her. It was one of the dead, which seemed to be decayed from the water. She felt frightened; all sense of peace fled from her body. She thrashed and attempted to yank her leg away from the creature, finally coming to her senses. Once she finally freed herself from its grasp, she began swimming away from it. Since it wasn’t very strong or skilled in swimming, she managed to get away safely. She wobbled up the shore, gasping for air and coughing up water that had made its way into her lungs. She hugged her body tightly, shivering as the rain continued to pelt her.

“What the hell are you doing?” A familiar voice sounded from ahead, causing her to shiver even more than she was previously.

Melanie lifted her chin up, noticing Nick off in the distance. He quickly began running towards her. Her eyes widened slightly, and she had the sudden urge to run away; however, she knew she couldn’t do that. She finally realized that running away only caused her more problems. She had to face obstacles head on, regardless of the type of obstacle. Violet was right when she said the ocean would help her decide what to do. The ocean helped her decide that she wanted to live; that she wanted to be honest with those she cared about.

“Cold,” she muttered under her breath as Nick finally made his way over to her. She began rubbing her right arm nervously, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

“It’s storming,” he stated firmly. “Violet said you were fine out here, but obviously you haven’t been fine for a while now.” He sighed softly, taking a few seconds before continuing, “Don’t lie and tell me any different.”

Melanie looked up at his face, gazing into his pupils for a split second before redirecting her attention to the center of his face. The concern was evident in his voice, in his eyes, and on his face. His expression began to pull on Melanie’s heartstrings; not in a good way, but in a painful way. She began to feel rather vulnerable, causing her defensive, untruthful persona to peek through. She bit her lip roughly, causing a drop of blood to quickly trickle down before mixing with the rain.

“I can’t run from it anymore. I get it,” she spat, clenching her fists. Nick paused for a moment, then attempted to place his hand over one of her fists, but she slapped it away. He widened his eyes at her action. “Please, don’t touch me,” she finished.

“Just,” Nick sighed, looking towards her. He eyed her for a few seconds, then his stern expression began to soften. “What are you running from?”

Without warning, her eyes began to well up with tears. “After we got separated from the ranch, I was on my own for a little while, then I met up with your mom,” she blurted out quickly, biting her lip roughly once again. The blood from her lip continued to mix with the rain, making it almost unnoticeable. Within seconds, her tears began to fall, mixing with the falling rain. Though the rain was able to make her tears less noticeable, she was aware that it would not hide her swollen eyes and so forth; she was aware that there was no turning back.

“You mean after I got separated from her at the dam?” Nick asked. Melanie lightly nodded her head, clasping her hands together and looking down at the wet sand. “That’s it? I don’t understand what you’re so worked up about.”

“N-no, it’s not,” she said, her voice beginning to shake. “We stayed together for a while, but it’s my fault the dead swarmed her back then.” Melanie covered her eyes, her hair falling over her hands as the rain continued to pelt her. “It’s my fault that Madison is dead.”

He paused for a moment. “But, Melanie that doesn’t make sense,” Nick finally said, confusion lacing his voice. “S-she met up with us at the stadium.” His voice began to shake as well, tugging at her heartstrings once again.

“I-I don’t understand,” Melanie said between sobs. She uncovered her eyes, meeting Nick’s sorrowful, yet confused eyes.

“Melanie,” he started, grabbing onto Melanie’s arms. She flinched slightly at his touch but didn’t reject him. “My mom died back at the stadium. You had nothing to do with that.” He shook her gently, yet firmly as he emphasized each word he spoke. She felt as if he was trying to shake some sense into her; like he was trying to convince her that his words were true. 

“Since she made it back to you later,” she started, gazing into his eyes as she tried to search for answers. She thought for a few seconds, then she took a few more to decide what she wanted to say. “T-that means she survived back then,” Melanie spoke in awe. Nick nodded, letting go of her arms.

“But now she’s…” Nick sighed softly. “I doesn’t even matter because she’s gone now.”

Melanie suddenly grabbed onto his arm roughly without hesitation. “She made it when I thought for sure she was gone,” Melanie said, continuing to stare into his eyes. “You said you wanted to believe she’s still out there, didn’t you?” She averted her gaze for a few seconds, deciding whether to bring up the question on her mind; she immediately returned her gaze once she had decided. “You didn’t see her go, did you?”

“What I said was just wishful thinking,” he replied, blinking slowly. “And no,” he sighed. “S-she just…” He swallowed roughly before continuing, “disappeared.”

“We have spent all this time grieving over others that we don’t know for sure are even gone,” she spoke softly, removing her hands from his arms and shooting him a sad, yet hopeful smile. “Nick,” she began, gently tugging on the sleeve of his shirt. “Don’t you think we should try and believe a little more?”

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

“I thought you were gone and you thought I was gone, but in a twist of unlikely circumstances we somehow managed to find each other again,” she said, a brighter smile creeping onto her lips. “Who’s to say we won’t find Madison?”

“It was unlikely, wasn’t it?” He smiled softly at her words. “But, what makes you think we might find her?”

“I may not have known her long, but thinking about it now, if anyone can make it out there she can.” Determination and hope began to shine in Melanie’s eyes. “She’s very capable.”

“You’re right about that,” he replied, placing his hands in his pockets. “I guess I can try to believe a little more.”

“You two are going to drown out here,” a familiar voice sounded behind Melanie and Nick, which caught them off guard.

Melanie and Nick looked behind them, noticing Violet standing there. She had a large, purple umbrella covering her body. The rain continued to pour without restraint, but Violet remained dry due to her umbrella. She smiled wide, handing an extra umbrella to the two soaked individuals. Without hesitation, the two of them covered themselves with the umbrella Violet had handed them. They were already soaked, but they appreciated it nonetheless.

“Thank you,” Melanie and Nick said in unison. Violet nodded, then quickly began making her way back towards the condominium. Melanie and Nick exchanged one last glance before the two of them began following behind the weird, yet kind woman. They both clutched the umbrella, huddling close so that they could refrain from getting even wetter.

“By the way,” Nick said as he and Melanie made their way into the parking lot. “You might want to stay out of the beach water from now on. Might be some dead in the water.”

“Huh,” Melanie scoffed. “You don’t say?”


	10. A/N: Update 09/08/18

A/N: UPDATE 09/08/18:

I had made significant progress on this story during the hiatus, but a couple of days ago my laptop sort of....died? (Which happened shortly after updating it.)

When I restart it I get an error that says: "unmountable boot volume" then it ends up on a blue screen. I can't even restore it, so I honestly don't know what to do. I have several finished chapters of this story and all my notes and drafts for it on that laptop. (Not to mention all of my other important stuff on it.)

So, all I can do for now is wait and hope since I'm unable to fix it myself and I cannot get it fixed at the moment.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience. If I am unable to recover all my stuff, I may just work with the chapters I have up and rewrite a lot of it. I am currently using an old laptop, but at least it hasn't failed me like my other. (R.I.P Lappy.)

Thank you all for sticking around. Again, I am sorry.


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